


Competition

by KindaSortaAwkward



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Royalty AU, it's a Selection fic, loads of drama, lots of ocs okay, love triangle + love square
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-12 18:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7117141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KindaSortaAwkward/pseuds/KindaSortaAwkward
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Adrien Agreste VI has come to the time where he must marry. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is picked to compete in a formal Competition to win the crown and the Prince's heart. However, both Marinette and Adrien seem to have conflicting feelings about love. What will happen when their two paths cross? Will it end in wedding bells? Or tragedy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my new story! I have been so excited to begin this! This idea comes from the "Selection" series by Kiera Cass. It won;t be exactly like the books and will not follow the same characters and plot points, but it will follow the general idea. This is going to be just a teensy tiny bit OOC on the Marinette end. If you haven't read the books, you really should; they're awesome! This is my first Miraculous Ladybug story and I'm super excited to start writing for this fandom! I really hope you enjoy!
> 
> P.S. If you are wondering about any of the pronunciations (because I changed a couple of the names of the fictional countries in this), go ahead and ask for it in the review and I'll let you know.
> 
> P.P.S. I also have this up on ff, just so you know. I thought I would begin to post this story on both sites! It's under the same name and my author name is also the same.

Prince Adrien Agreste VI had always loved the idea of the Competition. It was how his father had met his mother. It was how they fell in love. He had always been excited for that to happen to him one day. He wanted to find his soulmate, just as his father had found his. Adrien never questioned how his "soulmate" would happen to be one in twenty-four girls. Perhaps he had subconsciously marked it off in his head as fate.

Whatever the matter, Adrien had always been waiting for this day. Well... nearly always.

After his mother died in a rebel attack, he lost hope in love. His life grew lonely and dark. His father, who had always been rather distant, never spoke to him after the incident. Adrien realized that his mother had been the person he spent most of his time with and she had always been intent on making sure he was happy. All of a sudden, his happiness was stripped from him. He was a husk, a paper thin prototype of what he had once been.

It was during that time, that period of time when he was alone, that Adrien lost hope in love.

He decided then that he would never be able to find his love, that there was no such thing as true love, and that love was an idea that silly optimists chased their entire lives and never found.

His heart never hardened. It just broke.

Poor Adrien, whose life had been so dark for so long, changed the first day of Competition.

As the girls walked into the processional hall, his world exploded in color.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Marinette! Dinner's ready!"

Marinette waved goodbye to Nathanael as she ran towards the bakery. She ran in through the door, slightly out of breath.

"Hello Mama, Papa." She kissed their cheeks and sat down to her plate of chicken and peas. A bowl of soup sat beside her glass of milk. "This is rather, uh... hearty, isn't it?" she questioned, looking up at her parents. They hadn't had a meal this fancy since Christmas.

Her father, Tom, laughed. "It's a special occasion. Don't tell us you forgot what day it is?" Marinette stared back blankly.

"It's the day of the Choosing Ceremony," her mother, Sabine, said taking a sip of wine.

Marinette gasped. She had forgotten all about the Competition. How could she not have remembered the hours of waiting in lines at the processing offices, handing in her forms. Every time a new prince reached the age of marriage, there was a Competition. All girls between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one were to enter their names and information into the running. Marinette, whose age fell just above eighteen, hadn't been worried about being drawn. After being chosen to be Ladybug, she believed that nothing too exciting would happen in her life again. Her being Ladybug was her legacy, her one thing. Fate only picked one thing to happen to you in life, Ladybug had been hers, bada bing, bada boom, been there, done that, that was it.

How wrong had she been.

The Dupain-Chengs crowded around the television, watching in anticipation to see who had been picked for the Competition. Girls were being called left and right, fake crowds erupting in cheers with the press of a button. It was cool to see new types of people. This was the first Competition to ever go international. Marinette had never been outside of Franic. She herself was part Chine on her mother's side, but she hardly knew the language. Only girls who were fluent in the native language of Franic were eligible for Competition. Marinette had heard at school that those in other countries were rigorously tested to see if they knew it.

However, when Marinette's face popped onto the screen, she froze.

This had to be a mistake.

Had to be a mistake.

Her big thing had already happened. Ladybug was her big thing. This wasn't possible.

And yet, there her picture was, in all it's smiling glory.

And there was the fake applause.

And there was her name being called out by Prince Adrien.

She was too confused to see his reaction.

She felt her head spin.

"Hooray?" Tom said in a small voice.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth, she thought to herself.

She sat on the bed, trying to calm herself down. However, the bed just made it worse. She didn't know what it was made of, but it was extremely plush compared to her springy bed at home. Although it had been made for ultimate comfort, it just made her more uneasy.

The entire room was overdone. High ceilings, thick and silky drapes, a canopy over her blue bed, cream walls, a bathroom that contained a bath fit to be a pool, and a vanity that was so big and so grandiose it could have been the queen's. It all made her uncomfortable and even with the fancy classical music playing down the hall, it felt strange compared to her old pink bedroom with a beaten up desk and a mattress lying on the ground.

"It can't be that bad, Marinette," Tikki said, hovering in front of Marinette's face.

"Oh, Tikki, I hate it here! It's too big. I don't need a bed this big. I don't need a pool in my bathroom. I had everything I needed back home."

Tikki had followed Marinette to the castle. She had to, otherwise how was Marinette supposed to be Ladybug!

"Marinette, I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually," Tikki said trying to calm Marinette down.

In an effort to stop breathing so fast, Marinette changed the subject. "I guess I better unpack."

Marinette put all her clothes in the giant wardrobe, folded and hanged neatly. She was surprised to find that there were some already in there, but brushed it off. She'd wear her clothes on the weekends. She put up a picture of her family on the nightstand next to her bed. In the drawer of the nightstand, she put the box containing her journal and a fountain pen engraved with her name. She tacked up a drawing of her family and friends waving to her. It was drawn by Nathanael. He had handed it to her as she had been saying goodbye.

"You know that you're ruining this extremely expensive wallpaper, right?" Tikki asked, looking in amusement as Marinette pushed the pin into the wall with great effort.

"Yep. And I don't care one bit." After Marinette drove the last pin into the wall she stood back and looked at the picture. It had been drawn in great detail, and it was as precise as a photograph. Her eyes welled with tears.

Finally, she pulled a box out from her trunk. She opened it and looked at the red jewels. The necklace had been in her family for ages. Marinette had never put it on due to the fact that her mother said that it was so fragile and special that she mustn't break it. In fear, Marinette never wore it. She simply kept it for when she had a daughter, so she could pass it down.

She had gotten a letter about a week before she came to the castle and it said in it that the contestants were allowed to keep any valuables in a safe in the room. The only person who knew the code was King Gabriel and everyone knew he had enough power and money to get anything he wanted and he had no interest on some girls' valuables.

Marinette shut the box and locked it in the safe. There was a sudden knock at the door. Tikki hid in Marinette's suitcase.

"Come in," Marinette called wiping at her eyes.

"Hello Miss Dupain-Cheng. I am Claire and I will be your personal maid throughout this Competition. I can't wait to get to know you!" This sounded extremely rehearsed, however Claire sounded like a nice girl. "For now, I have your dress for this evening." She gestured to large garment bag on the carrier behind her. "I can assist you in putting it on."

"Oh, really, it's no problem. I can do it myself," Marinette said. She really wanted some alone time.

Claire laughed. It was a nice laugh, although a little quiet. "I don't think so." Before Marinette could say anything, the dress was laid out in front of her. It was a large, cream ball gown. Layers and layers of silk and tulle flowed to the ground. It cinched at the waist and poofed out. This dress was worth more than Marinette's entire life.

However, there were some things Marinette would change about the design if she could. The sash was a bit much. Maybe a belt... no then it would look too much like a wedding dress. Actually, now that she thought about it, it already did look like a wedding dress. Maybe it could be a bit more off white... No, then it would be a weird light yellow. The color was fine in the end, more like a dance dress than a wedding dress. The worst thing had to be the tulle and silk. Although beautiful on the body, the two textures clashed to the touch.

"It's very pretty," Marinette said. Which was true. It could just use a bit of work.

"It's one of the King's designs."

Oh. Oops. She took back all of her previous statements.

Marinette had always been enthralled with design and King Gabriel's designs had always been her favorite. The only thing she looked forward to at the castle was seeing the dresses. Specifically, on real people, not models who knew what they were doing.

She realized that she had just criticized her idol's work.

After Claire had tied her up into the corset of the dress, Marinette was sent to the vanity. The makeup artists came in and made her look like a completely different person. Marinette did not know much about makeup, but compared to what the artists were wearing, she felt like hers was rather natural. Then even more stylists came in and they did her hair and her nails and moisturized her skin. There was even a fragrance specialist.

"Is it like this everyday?" Marinette asked Claire.

"Most days," Claire said with a giggle.

Claire was not much older than Marinette and she was soft-spoken at heart. Marinette could tell they wouldn't become best friends, but she knew that they would get along well.

Marinette was only left alone to put on her shoes. They were heels and she spent the next few minutes practicing walking in them until she felt she had it nearly down.

"Great job Marinette!" Tikki cheered on as Marinette walked across the room and back without falling for the fifth time in a row.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this..." Marinette said, stumbling to the bed.

There was a knock on the door. Tikki dove for a hidden pocket in the dress. The best thing about Gabriel Agreste's dresses: they always had hidden pockets.

As Marinette lined up near the processional hall with all of the girls, she felt downplayed. Most of the other dresses were extremely extravagant. Maybe it had to do with class. Marinette's family definitely didn't have the most money in Franic.

As the doors to the hall opened wide, little did Marinette know that this was going to be the beginning of the rest of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

The processional hall was just as grand in real life as it was on the television screens. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling reflected the glow of the candles. The plush red carpets and gleaming marbled floors were foreign to Marinette. She had never seen such jewels as the those the royal court members and nobles wore. The rings and the tiaras and the necklaces and the bracelets and the earrings and the brooches and the dress belts. All of it shown like constellations.

Marinette tried to contain her awe. She was instructed to sit in a huge, gold-embellished chair that was part of a line of other identical chairs. All the girls sat down. The music died down as the king and the prince entered the room. A processional was played, trumpets and trombones and violins blaring away, announcing the arrival of those who needed no announcing. Everyone stood, a tradition Marinette had been taught since a very young age. Although a bit strange, people at home who were watching the event still stood and bowed. Marinette smirked as she saw the other girls struggling to curtsey as the king and the prince sat down. Thank goodness her dress wasn't so tight and form-fitting.

"Good evening to all." The king announced, his voice echoing across the silent hall. "We are here today in honor of the commencement of the Competition. We ask for your support at home. I cannot and will not voice who I believe to be the best option for Queen, but as we have loosened the ties that hold down the people, you may broadcast your opinion of the ladies from your homes." Marinette sighed at these words. This marked the first year that the laws on speech and publication were weakened. It wasn't too big a deal, you still couldn't say things outside of your house, but her parents had rejoiced after being told how to live for so long. No one knew what Prince Adrien's views were, but many crossed their fingers that he was more open-minded than those before him. "My son will now welcome the ladies and give his speech," King Gabriel finished. Everyone politely applauded.

"Thank you, Father, for the lovely welcoming. I am so excited to be participating in the Competition, as I hope all of these ladies are too." Prince Adrien said with a smile. He really was beautiful, even if some people thought boys weren't supposed to be. His eyes glittered like emeralds and he had the kind of face you immediately acknowledged and were drawn to. "I am so happy to see such a diverse group of girls this year! As many of you know, this the first year that we have opened up the Competition to the rest of the world. This is another example of the world reaching its peace." The crowd clapped. Prince Adrien beamed and then continued. "I'd like to welcome our new contestants from Amerie, Chine, Italle, Grec, Russe, and Kingland. It is Franic's pleasure to have you here!" The girl to the left of Marinette blushed and looked down at her hands in her lap. She had milky, pale skin and big brown eyes that fluttered around too fast. "And, of course, we welcome all of the girls from our own home country of Franic." More clapping. Did people really clap this much?

After Prince Adrien finished his speech about the Competition, the girls were sent to dinner in the dining hall. Marinette had never seen such food. Although she her family made an average amount of money, most of it was saved for Marinette's education, even if she didn't want to attend further schooling than she needed to. Marinette sat in the middle of the large table. Some of the more flirtatious girls sat near Prince Adrien, but Marinette didn't really see the point if they were going to be whisked away after they lost. Her mouth watered at the sight of the meats, vegetables, breads, soups, and sauces on her plate. She dug in, savoring the tender taste of food she had never had before. The dessert was so good that she moaned just a tiny bit. Her face reddened after a couple of the girls around her snickered, catching the attention of the prince.

"Is everything all right ladies?" he asked, smiling towards them.

Marinette swallowed and said, "Yes. Just, uh, enjoying the food!" before anyone else could spill of her reaction to the creamy cake.

The girls laughed some more and Marinette quietly ate her cake. She had never been the brute of a joke, but now she knew how awful it was.

After dinner, the girls returned to their rooms. Surprisingly, Claire had disappeared. "Where did your maid go?" Tikki asked, zooming out of the pocket of Marinette's dress.

"I don't know. That's strange. She said she would see me after dinner..." Marinette checked the bathroom. Nothing. "Well, Tikki, I think we should be getting to bed."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

Marinette changed into one of the castle's silk nightgowns and pulled her hair out of its updo. It didn't feel right. None of this felt right. She took off the nightgown and changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt from home. She crawled into bed, the bed that was not hers and was too comfortable to ever be hers. She sunk her head into the pillows. "Goodnight Tikki," she whispered.

"Goodnight Marinette," Tikki whispered back.

A single tear dripped down Marinette's nose and hit the pillow. She missed home.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette woke with a start. Tikki had pulled on Marinette's hair to wake her up and pointed to the door. Someone was knocking and calling "Miss Dupain-Cheng?" It was a voice Marinette didn't recognize. Tikki hid under the covers of Marinette's bed. "Come in," Marinette called.

A very short girl around Marinette's age walked into the room. She had the standard maid's uniform on. She had golden-brown eyes and honey-blond hair. She was rather shy and reserved. "Hello, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I am your new maid."

"What happened to Claire?" Marinette questioned.

"Well, there seems to have been a mistake in the Competition. My parents work in the castle, down in the kitchens, but I guess I was never entered and they called my name on accident when it was Claire? I'm sorry, none of it makes sense to me." The girl looked down at the ground, frowning. The skin around her eyes was red. Marinette inwardly gave a sigh of sympathy. The girl had probably always grown up wishing to be out in the Competition and she had been given hope only to have it snatched away. And here Marinette was, crying about going home.

"It's okay though. Now I get to be your maid! So I'm still involved, kind of..." the girl said, trying to instill happiness. "My name is Mylènè, by the way."

"Mylènè, I'm so sor-"

"Don't worry about it. It was an accident that had nothing to do with you. I'm so happy that I get to be your maid! Now, I'll go run you a bath and you go ahead and get out of bed." Mylènè made her way to the bathroom and Marinette slugged herself out of bed. She put on a dressing-gown and sat down on her bed rubbing her eyes. Tikki was still hidden under the covers.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, your bath is ready," Mylènè said, on her way out of the bathroom.

"Thank you Mylènè. And please, just call me Marinette. No formalities necessary."

"All right. Marinette if you need anything, please give me a ring," Mylènè said, gesturing to the callbox by the dresser. Mylènè exited the door and Marinette got into the bubble-filled bath. Tikki came over and sat on the edge of the sink.

"Mylènè seems nicer than your old maid."

"Yeah, she does. I can't believe Claire is in the Competition. And that they actually kicked Mylènè out. That would be devastating."

Marinette finished her bath and combed through her hair. Mylènè knocked on her door and Tikki flew behind the photo of Marinette and her parents. Mylènè blew out Marinette's hair with a dryer and then straightened it. Marinette was put in a sparkling black dress today, simple enough. It had long, lacy sleeves that tapered at the end. It ran down to her knees and a simple tan belt was added to make it look less formal. Marinette put on a pair of tan flats that matched the belt, happy that she wouldn't have to wear heels again until another event.

She walked into breakfast, a couple of girls milling about. Marinette had missed Prince Adrien's breakfast, but then again, she wasn't all too eager at the moment. She ate a berry pastry and drank some tea and then decided to explore the castle. After all, if she was going to go home, she wanted to get the full experience first.

After going down long halls and up creaking stairs, Marinette grew worried. "Uh... Tikki?"

"Yes?" Tikki said, flying out of Marinette's pocket.

"Which way did we go after this stairwell?"

"How should I know? I was in your pocket!"

"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Mylènè said that Prince Adrien was doing interviews today. What if I'm late?"

"What time were the interviews at?" Tikki asked as Marinette ran down the hall to another set of stairs that looked exactly like the last one. She ran down it anyway.

"Eleven." Marinette hadn't seen a single clock in the hallways, but she had left breakfast at five-till-ten and she culd tell she had been out for awhile. She ran down another hall. Another staircase. Another set of doors. She ran in random directions until she saw a line of dresses in the distance. Tikki quickly flew back into Marinette's pocket.

Marinette was panting by the time she made it to the girls. They were all sitting in seats by a door. The interview room. A couple girls whispered and giggled. Marinette was just starting to breathe normally again, when the door opened and a girl came out and said, "Mary Beth Dupain-Cheng, you're up next."

"It's Marinette," Marinette said as she walked into the room, smoothing her hair and dress and closing the door behind her.

"You seem to be in a rush." And suddenly, Prince Adrien was sitting in a chair across from her. All of her confidence drained.

"I, um, yeah, uh, um, I... I went for a walk. Yeah, a walk!" God, why was she stuttering?

The prince laughed. "Have a seat," he said.

Marinette curtseyed and then sat down. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Prince Adrien."

"And you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. So, what was life like back at home?"

"My parents are bakers. They own a bakery in small village to the east. I work there in my spare time."

"Spare time?" Prince Adrien tilted his head in confusion. "What is your main job?"

"Oh, I attend school."

"School? I thought your application said you were eighteen?" Prince Adrien questioned.

"I am. I attend post-secondary school. You know, where you study for a future job."

"Really? I've never heard of that. I apologize for not knowing, maybe I'm really not fit to be king after all." He smiled and scratched the back of his neck.

Marinette's brows furrowed. "Who said you weren't fit to be king?"

Prince Adrien's eyes widened at his mistake. "Nobody," he said too quickly. "So, what do you study."

"Um, psychology."

"Interesting! Do you enjoy it?"

"Well, it's all right, but it's not what I want to do in life."

"What do you want to do then?" Prince Adrien asked.

"I want to be a seamstress. I've always loved sewing and stitching and knitting. I used to make my own clothes before I came here. I'm pretty good at it too. Designing and creating pieces of fashion is just what I do best. It's what I love. His Majesty, your father, he inspired many of my pieces actually. And you're a great model too, by the way."

Adrien was too astonished to thank her for the compliment. "Wait, wait, hold on. You're parents are bakers and they own their own business so that makes you a Four, right?"

Marinette nodded. "It was in the appli-"

"Seamstresses are Sixes. You'd be willing to go down two castes for a job?"

Marinette blinked. "Of course. Like I said, it's what I love to do. The caste system doesn't outweigh my passion for it." Marinette rubbed her arm. "As a matter of fact, I rather am not a fan of the caste system."

Silence was all that met her ears. She blushed. She knew she'd said too much. Of course Prince Adrien didn't understand the troubles of the caste system; he was a One after all. Marinette just thought that if by some chance she did become Queen, she should probably let her beliefs out now before she made it to the end.

"Okay. I can't share what I think, but... okay." He gave her another charming smile.

Shit. She had blown it.

"Oops, looks like we're running out of time. I have one final question." Prince Adrien said. Marinette looked up. "What do you think of the Competition?"

Marinette took a deep breath. She had already lost, she was already gone, so she may as well give her full opinion. "I believe the Competition isn't a real way to find love. I believe that fate won't just float you on a boat to your true love. If love is worth fighting for, then it's also worth finding. I think you'll be happy with whoever you pick, but I don't believe that they'll be the one. I don't even know if there is a one."

Prince Adrien looked at her like she had just proven the theory of everything. He didn't say anything and so Marinette awkwardly got up and made her way to the door. Just as she reached for the doorknob, Prince Adrien said something to her.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, I must ask you one small thing before you go. Do you wish to be taken out of the Competition?"

She turned so that she could look straight into his green, green eyes.

"No."

She left the room.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was after dinner, as Marinette sat in the otherwise empty Women's Room reading a book about adventures, that a girl with bouncy blonde hair came into the room and said, "Well, if it isn't Moaning Marinette."

"And who might you be?"

The girl gasped. "How do you not recognize me? I'm the daughter of the governor! Chloé Bourgeois, model extraordinaire!"

Marinette, after looking through fashion photo shoots all her life, only ever cared to read King Gabriel's fashion magazines, so she had seen Prince Adrien model, but never this girl.

"Sorry, I don't believe I've seen you before. Anyway, how do you know about the dessert thing?" Marinette asked.

Chloé laughed. "Oh please, it's all the girls are talking about. Fantasizing about Prince Adrien, were we? Well, guess what? Not gonna happen! Sabrina!" A girl with bobbed red hair and glasses popped in the room with a smirk and a poster. "Prince Adrien modeled for my father's magazine awhile back. We got pretty close." The poster showed a younger looking Chloé and Prince Adrien. Prince Adrien was kissing Chloé on the cheek and they were on a beach, advertising a new swimwear line.

"Just so you know Chloé, I'm not actively pursuing Prince Adrien. I'm not someone you have to worry about," Marinette said closing her book.

"Well, you're a measley Four and you weren't one of the fifteen to go, so that obviously means something," Sabrina said, sticking her nose up in the air.

Marinette ignored the jab. "Fifteen people left?"

"Duh. Can't you listen? Oh please, you might as well escort yourself out while you still have some dignity. There's no point in staying. The prince would never choose somebody as boring and bland as you. You hold no politcal beneficial ties. You're boring and average and have low aspirations. We all heard outside the room that you want to be a seamstress. You have no friends. Nobody likes you. There's no point. Why don't you go home and bake some more cookies? This isn't the right place for you. Now move, Sabrina and I need some space to gossip." Chloé flipped her hair at the end of her speech and Marinette got up.

Marinette quickly left the room and walked down the hall. She wiped away a tear. And then another. And another, until she was furiously wiping at her face.

"Marinette? I'll... I'll leave you alone for a bit," Tikki said quietly.

Marinette wanted to say no. She wanted to tell Tikki that she didn't want her to leave. Marinette didn't want to be alone, in fact that was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She wanted her mom and dad to hug her and tell her everything would be all right and she wanted Nathanëal to draw her a picture and she wanted to go back to her normal life. Instead all she said was, "Okay."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette snuck past the guards and made her way to the gardens. She exited the castle and walked along the winding paths, admiring the flowers and shrubbery. The boom of thunder and a crack of lightning warned her to go inside, but she ignored it. Thus, she walked in the heavy downpour. She was rather thankful for the rain, because she couldn't distinguish if she was crying or if it was the raindrops landing on her face.

She walked into the rosebush maze, ruining her flats. They were caked with mud and her dress was soaking wet, shimmery glitter washed off. She got lost and tried to leave. By now, she was beginning to grow cold. Somehow, she found an exit but it did not look like the way she had entered. She walked down another path that led to a garden of sunflowers. She looked up at them but grew dizzy and fell. Her arms stopped her from hitting the stone of the path. She pushed herself up, realizing how tired she was. She made her way to a bench and sat down.

Did everyone really hate her? Or was Chloé just trying to scare her off? This was all too much for Marinette. She stared at a daffodil that was too weak to continue standing against the heavy rain. It plopped in the mud, all the other flowers around blowing in the wind.

"You know, the flowers are much prettier in the daytime when it's sunny."

Marinette jolted up from the bench at the voice. It was Prince Adrien.

"Prince Adrien?! I mean, Your Highness?! What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You know you're not allowed to leave the castle after half-past eight."

Marinette was stunned.

Prince Adrien smiled. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, I believe that you have ruined your dress."

Marinette snapped out of it. "Don't worry, I can pay for it! I think! I don't know how much this costs, but I'll, um, repay you in some way!" She winced. Why was she screaming at the prince?

Prince Adrien laughed. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm not very good at this whole thing..." Marinette mumbled.

"What whole thing?" Prince Adrien asked. Thunder echoed in the distance.

"This. The royalty, the dresses, the castle, all of it. It's... it's not me. It's not what I'm used to."

"Do you want to go home?" Prince Adrien asked, his face soft and concerned.

"Why do you care so much if I want to go home or not?" Marinette asked, exasperated.

"I care what you think. If you don't want to be here, I won't force you to stay."

"Why didn't you send me home?"

"Do you want to go home?"

"No! For the last time, I don't want to go home!"

"Well, there's your answer," Prince Adrien said.

"You mean that fifteen girls wanted to go home?" Marinette asked in disbelief.

"Of course not. Only two did. Juleka Wright and Rose Clarke from Kingland. Turns out they were engaged to each other back home and were entered by the government on accident. Isn't that funny?!" Prince Adrien gave a small laugh.

Marinette couldn't help a smile. "How ironic," she said softly.

"The other thirteen girls catered to my opinions and didn't answer my questions. They asked me what I liked and then agreed with whatever I said. You can't have someone like that be the queen. Plus, you... well, you..." Prince Adrien drifted off.

"I what?"

"You... I...um..."

"Your Highness, are you all right?"

Prince Adrien shook his head. "Just Adrien. Please just call me Adrien. I can't stand hearing 'Your Highness' anymore. I want to be Adrien to you. Please. I need a bit more normalcy in my life."

Marinette's mouth hung open. "Okay... A-Adrien. As long as you call me Marinette. Just Marinette. No 'Miss', no surname, none of that. Marinette."

"Okay, Marinette." Adrien said, smiling. "I think I better be heading back to the castle. My bedroom is this way and the ladies' quarters are that way so..." He held out his black umbrella to her. Marinette looked at him in awe. He smiled at her, eyes shining. She cautiously reached for the handle and his fingers brushed against hers in the hand-off. There was a sensation on her hand that was warm and nice and it made her instantly feel better.

However, while she was gawking at a certain prince, the umbrella closed on her, covering her face. This had to be, single-handedly, the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her. Adrien laughed, the most real laugh she had ever heard. She pushed the umbrealla back up and giggled a little.

Adrien sighed and smiled at her again. "Good night Marinette."

"Good flight Adrien! I mean good bight, I-I mean could night, I... ugh." He laughed again. Marinette took a breath. "Good night Adrien."

They went their separate ways.

That night as Marinette switched into a castle nightgown, she said "Tikki?"

"Yes Marinette?" Tikki called back, eating a cookie Marinette had snuck from dessert that night.

"I've gotta win this thing."


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette touched the fabric of the dress and sighed. Mylènè had come into her room and laid out dresses and was now helping her pick one. Today there would be promotional interviews of each remaining girl. That being said, they were very short and precise interviews where simple questions were asked and simple answers were given. Marinette wouldn't be on screen for more than three minutes. Still, she wanted to look nice for the event.

The dresses before her were all very different. One was a deep purple, nearing black, and it was tight and clung to the body. It was backless and had sexy straps across the chest. It was a bit much for only just getting through the first round of eliminations. The second was your typical ball gown. Peach-colored chiffon brushed the ground. It wasn't unflattering, just... overdone. It was something that all the girls would be a wearing. The last was a short and sparkly number that was a respectable shade of navy. It was sort of showy, looking more like something Chloé would wear on a fancy evening out. However, Marinette, who had never been the tallest of people, looked even shorter in a dress meant for the long-legged.

She had tried each one at least five times before she groaned and flopped onto the bed. "Ugh, Mylènè, are there any more dresses?"

Mylènè shook her head, pouting. "No, I'm so sorry Marinette. Apparently, Miss Bourgeois took more than her allowed five."

Marinette sprung up. "Hey, we only got three! She can't do that! Isn't that cheating?"

"I don't know. We're the same age Marinette; I don't know anything about Competition."

Marinette let out a heaving sigh. None of the color selections necessarily suited her, but she just got up and had Mylènè help her into the short dress. After Mylènè had left the room, Tikki sprung out from behind the dresser. "You look great, Marinette!"

Marinette frowned and mumbled, "I would probably look better in one of the fifty dresses Chloé stole."

"Oh, don't talk like that. You look dazzling!" Tikki said. "Now, let's go have some breakfast."

Marinette had woken up early today, which meant she could attend Adrien's breakfast. She smiled to herself thinking about the night before. She had yet to tell Tikki about the whole endeavor, because she had been extremely tired. She couldn't wait to talk to Tikki abou-

"Achoo!"

Marinette's sneeze echoed throughout the long hallway. She let out a little cough and then continued walking to the dining hall.

"Are you all right?" Tikki asked.

"Yeah, I just have a bit of a stuffy nose."

Tikki ducked into Marinette's pocket just before she entered the dining hall. Adrien, sitting at the head of the table and not at his normal royal court seat, waved. "Hello, Miss Dupain-Cheng! Pleasure to see you on this fine morning! Glad you could join us! Come, have a seat!"

Marinette's eyebrows jerked up at the formality. Had he forgotten about last night? Had it meant nothing to him? She sucked in a breath, curtseyed, and addressed him with the same formality. After all, there were a gaggle of at least ten girls surrounding him.

"Good morning, Your Highness. How are you today?"

He did not seem to notice her difference in address. "I'm well! I've saved you a seat!"

Marinette's cheeks lit aflame. The seat was directly to his left and all the girls scowled at her. She awkwardly made her way to the chair, a bowl of yogurt with berries and honey set in front of her. She looked at him, mouth slightly ajar, surprised at his act of chivalry toward her. He was a prince, but none were this kind to a girl unless...

Unless...

No.

He couldn't.

But... maybe...

No. She had been wrong. Another four or five seats were set with the yogurt. Of course he hadn't made it for her. She had been stupid to even think it. But... he had saved her a seat... next him... and-

"Hey! Miss Bourgeois! I saved you a seat."

The seat to Adrien's right was unoccupied and also set. Marinette looked at the yogurt and started eating. Fresh berries burst in her mouth at the slightest touch of her teeth and the yogurt had a sharp sweetness to it unlike the food back at home. Although her parents baked with the best ingredients possible, it was nothing in comparison to this.

Chloé gave Marinette a sharp look and a glare before curtseying and sitting down. Marinate quickly crossed her fingers under the table in the hopes that Chloé wouldn't talk about the "Moaning Marinette" incident.

"Are you girls excited for the interviews today?" Prince Adrien asked happily.

"Oh, of course! You know that the cameras just love me." Chloé said matter-of-factly. Marinette had known that Chloé was the daughter of the mayor of Pariséé, but Chloé hadn't been on TV too much. Sure, there were the occasional broadcasts featuring news about her achievements or she stood in the background during ceremonies. But most of the televised news centered around the royal family and so she had seen plenty of Adrien while growing up.

"What about you, Miss Dupain-Cheng? Are you excited?" Adrien asked, breaking Marinette out of her thoughts. She almost cringed at the sound of her last name... It was all too cheesy.

"Uh, um, y-yes, I'm very excited. I can't wait!" Marinette nearly slapped a hand to her forehead. Ugh, why was it so difficult to talk to him?! She shot a glare at a giggling Chloé and Sabrina.

Adrien, who had seemed not to notice the exchange, smiled in delight. "Great! I can't wait to get to know more about you!"

Marinette took silent note of the fact that he had not addressed everyone else in the room and that he had been looking at her deeply with those gorgeous green eyes.

A clock rang out and Marinette scooted out of her chair uncertainly as all of the girls stood up and began to exit. She leaned by Adrien to whisper in his ear, "What's going on?"

He whispered back in her ear, "You have lessons with the other girls. It's supposed to represent your knowledge as 'queen'. I just think it's really stupid. I tried to get Father to get rid of them, but he wouldn't stand for it. They're really easy topics, like history and mannerisms..."

Adrien pulled away at the mention of mannerisms, his cheeks a light pink. "Speaking of manners, I shouldn't be whispering to you. It could seem... I don't know..."

Marinette turned red with embarrassment. "Oh yeah, I-I'm sorry, it's my fault, I just-"

"No, no, it's fine..." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

"I should, uh, probably get going..." Marinette said.

"Yeah, um... yeah."

Marinette awkwardly began to leave the dining hall, having nothing left to say.

"Wait! Mar- I mean Miss Dupain-Cheng!" Marinette turned back around. Adrien's cheeks were still dusty. "I, um, I... will I see you later?"

"I... uh, yes. We'll meet later," Marinette confirmed.

"Good. Great." Adrien was visibly pleased. "I mean, um, you should probably head to your lessons. I'll stop holding you up."

Speechless, Marinette nodded and turned around. And before she turned around, she saw Adrien smiling to himself.

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Marinette sighed and dropped all of the heavy textbooks on her desk. "I don't get it Tikki," she said as the little kwami flew out of her pocket. "I already know math and literature and science and history. Why do they think that we need to start with the basics? Sure, maybe the whole manners thing, and possibly history, but when is a queen going to need math? Or have to know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the... the... a-achoo!"

"Are you sure you're not ill Marinette? You look a little pale..."

"I'm fine Tikki, just a little- Achoo!"

"Marinette, maybe you should go find His Highness and ask him where the doctors are," Tikki advised.

"I'm not going to bother Adrien with a little cold."

"Oh, so he's just Adrien now, is he?" Tikki asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Marinette blushed. "We just talked a little bit last night, that's all."

"That's all?"

"That's all Tikki, I swear."

"Oh, so is this why you want to win now?"

"I don't know, maybe? Can we please stop talking about this?" Marinette begged.

"All right, all right..."

Marinette laid down on the bed, only to hear knocking outside her door.

"Marinette?" Mylènè called. Tikki flew under the bed. "May I come in?"

Marinette sat up and quickly unruffled her dress. "Yes."

Mylènè came in, looking a little jittery. Marinette stood up, concerned. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes. A maid was just fired and... oh, it's nothing you need to worry about. Are you all right? You sound a bit stuffy," Mylènè acknowledged.

Marinette raised her eyebrows at the change of subject, but didn't push the matter. She sniffed and said, "Yes, I think it's just some bad allergies."

"Miss, it's the middle of summer, are you sure?"

"Yes. That's, uh... when my allergies get bad!" Marinette smiled, trying not to worry Mylènè.

"Oh, okay. Anyway, I came to tell you that the interviews are beginning in two hours. I'll come and get you when you need to leave, but I need to know where you'll be."

"Oh, I'll probably be in here, getting some work done," Marinette said, eyeing the stack of papers on her desk.

"All right then. I'll leave you to it."

"Thank you," Marinette said as Mylènè left. Tikki flew back out.

"Don't you want to go to the Women's Room Marinette?" she asked.

Marinette scoffed. "And give Chloé and Sabrina free range to make fun of me with the other girls? I don't think so."

Tikki shrugged and Marinette trudged over to the desk. She picked up a quill and began her work.

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"Marinette!" Tikki whispered directly into Marinette's ear, pushing her head.

"This is a great painting Nathanëal... No, I don't... Adrien..." Marinette senselessly mumbled in her sleep.

"Marinette!" Tikki hissed.

"AH! What-?" In true Marinette fashion, she fell out of the chair. "Ouch," she said rubbing her head.

"Marinette, may I please come in? You need to go down to the interviews!" Mylènè said, knocking on the door.

Tikki was already hidden in Marinette's pocket. "Come in," Marinette called weakly.

Mylènè barged in and nearly screamed when she saw Marinette sprawled on the floor. "Miss, are you all right?" she asked, rushing over to help Marinette up.

"Yes, I just got a little tired I guess," Marinette said, wobbling up.

"Come, we have to get you makeup and hair done!"

They both rushed out of the room. The television set area looked so fake and unreal that Marinette couldn't believe she used to think it was an actual room. The whole place looked like a warehouse with a shiny, perfect set right in the middle. Bright lights shown down on the plush couches and chairs and oriental rugs laid across the shiny wooden floor. The deep mahogany paneling on the walls made the set look like a sort of study. But out around the set were random chairs so that the nobles inside the castle could watch. Huge cameras, some bigger than Marinette, stood in all sorts of angles and microphones hung from the high ceiling of the huge room.

Before Marinette could process it all, she was whisked off to costume prep. Because she was late, her hair was just thrown up in a bun and she was given a very light makeup look. Then she was told to sit in one of the plastic chairs surrounding the set and to wait her turn until she was sent up to be interviewed.

The show began with King Gabriel giving his average formal address and then Pierre, the sort of host of the news bits, described to the audience the nature of interviews. Each girl was called up and they talked about where they were from and their life before the Competition and how excited they were.

When Marinette was called, she nervously made her way up to the set and sat down in the chair that the rest of the girls had sat in.

"So, Miss Dupain-Cheng, tell us what life was like back home," Adrien said, giving her a reassuring smile.

She seemed to calm down at his expression, although the lights were making her a bit dizzy. "Well, um, I'm a Four and my parents own and run a bakery. I would sometimes help them on large orders and stuff. I, uh, went to school... well, obviously." Great, now she was rambling. "I had some friends there and I lived a very normal life."

"Was this bakery very popular?" King Gabriel questioned. Marinette tried to ignore his scowl.

"Um, yes. All of the townspeople came to us for bread and sweets."

"I see. Did you plan on working in this bakery your whole life?" King Gabriel asked.

"Well, no. I... I want to be a seamstress."

A couple of gasps from the crowd. Adrien tensed. King Gabriel narrowed his eyes and frowned. "You would rather be a Six than a Four?" he asked, teeth gritted.

"Well, it's what I love to do. I'd rather be poor and love my job than be middle class and dislike what I'm doing with my life."

"Very well. Next is Miss Chloé Bourgeois, daughter of the mayor of our very own Pariséé."

Marinette stood up and walked to her seat. She blinked heavily, now seeing two of everything. She collapsed into her seat and covered her eyes. She took deep breaths. Her stomach was churning. She didn't think it was because of the interview. Maybe she really was sick.

After the show closed out and everyone began to leave for dinner, Marinette shakily stood up. She was visibly shivering and couldn't seem to hear anything.

"Marinette? Are you all right?" Concerned green eyes flew into her blurry and unfocused vision.

"I..." She tried to speak but her vision was quickly tunneling and before she knew what was going on, she hit the ground.

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Marinette's bleary eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dark of her room. She tried to breathe out of her nose, but found that it was blocked. She shivered in her heavy sheets. Wait, what happened? How had she gotten into her bed?

A soft knock sounded at the door. "Miss Dupain-Cheng?"

She cleared her throat at the familiar voice. "Come in," she called.

Adrien quickly opened the door and closed it. He pulled her desk chair up to her bedside. "Sorry, to be so quiet, I'm not supposed to visit the girls' rooms," he said, blushing a little.

"What happened?" Marinette asked, realizing that she was in a nightgown. She pulled the covers up a little higher. Adrien's blush turned a bit deeper in color.

"You blacked out before dinner. Why didn't you ask for a doctor when you felt ill?" he answered.

"I... I didn't want to be a bother," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Marinette. You could never be a bother," he said, looking straight into her eyes. Marinette blushed and forced herself to look away.

"I'm sorry, by the way. For what I said on camera," Marinette said.

"Why are you apologizing? It's me who should be saying sorry! My father should not have treated you like that and I'm so sorry that he did. The whole caste thing is stupid. That shouldn't be what defines you," Adrien said, his eyes filled with frustration. It was a side to him she had never seen before.

Her eyes widened. "You... you don't support the caste system?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "You don't either, right?

"Well, no, you already know that. But I thought... Well, since your father... Don't you..."

"Marinette. I am not my father. I am not like him. I would not treat you that way," he said in all seriousness.

"It's really not a big deal..." she said, drifting off. She was growing tired. She felt a hand on her forehead.

"Well that's good. It seems that your fever has gone down. Not completely broken, but it's getting better. Jesus, Marinette. Did you get this sick from the rain?"

She opened her eyes a little. "Why don't you call me Marinette anymore?"

"I just did," he said, blinking.

"Well, yeah, but not in front of the other girls," she said, her cheeks red.

"Oh. Oh. I can't. It's a formality thing. I can't make it seem like I'm closer to one of the girls yet than the others. We're supposed to kind of drag this thing out. And I wish I could call you Marinette all the time and I wish you could call me Adrien all the time, but it just doesn't work that way. I'm sorry Marinette."

"It's okay. I understand... Adrien..." Her eyes were growing heavy. She curled up under the blankets and began to drift off.

And perhaps it was a dream, but Marinette could have sworn she felt a pair of lips kiss her forehead before hearing her door close.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette felt much better after a long rest. The medicine seemed to kick in and it left her in a drowsy state the next day. She had laid in bed, Adrien visiting her periodically. Most of the time she was too far out of it to be respectful, but by the second day she felt much better. She slowly got out of bed, feeling less dizzy. Her throat was a little sore, but after some less heavy medicine and a few cough drops, she was back to full health.

As she was about to open her door to go to breakfast, fully dressed in a tea dress with floral patterns, there was a knock. It was one she didn't recognize, but she opened the door all the same. It revealed a large, wavering stack of papers, textbooks, and folders. Marinette immediately grabbed half of the stack. Oh wow, these are really heavy, she thought as she carried them over to her desk. After setting them down, she turned to the now empty-handed girl before her.

The girl was about her age and was a little bit taller. She wore a rather simple day dress, purple in color, complimenting her warm skin and two-toned hair, and it showed off her curves in a flattering way. She had large, square glasses and a beauty mark on her forehead. Her hazel eyes moved quickly and sharply, surveying Marinette's room.

Marinette cleared her throat and stuck out her hand, putting on her best smile. "It's very nice to meet you!"

The girl quickly shook her hand. "Hello! I'm Alya Césaire. Nice to meet you...?"

"Oh, I'm Marinette. Um, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Marinette inwardly cringed at her overly-loud voice.

"Oh, so you're the one that everyone says the prince is smitten for," Alya said with a smirk.

Marinette reddened. Adrien? Smitten for her? Ha. Never. "Pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing really. But everyone's been talking about how His Highness has been visiting you whilst you've been sick."

"He's just kind. And I really don't want to make enemies here, can we please-" Marinette started.

"Oh, I'm not arguing with you! I'm sorry if it came off that way! I can be sort of over-bearing at times," Alya said, laughing.

Marinette smiled. "Sorry, I haven't really gotten to talk to anyone here yet."

"Good for you then. Everyone here is too snotty. Focused entirely on the Competition, not even on Prince Adrien himself. Or even worse, some only want the title; to be a One," Alya informed.

Marinette gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way," Alya said. "I'm glad I met someone like you who's kind enough to help someone carrying a bunch of books! Care to walk to breakfast together?"

"I'd love to."

As the girls walked to the dining hall, Alya informed Marinette about her life back home and how she wanted to be a journalist. "That would make you a Three, right?" Marinette asked.

Alya nodded happily. "I know we're already Threes because of the Competition, but if I could get with the right newspaper, it'd be set in stone! I'm really passionate about it. We grew up as Fours because my mom was head chef at a popular restaurant down south."

"I'm Four too! Well, was..." She had forgotten about becoming an automatic Three because of the Competition. Her parents would be happy, but she would be leaving them in the dust. And fashion design...

"I heard you want to be a seamstress though?" Alya asked.

Marinette looked up, surprised that Alya had read her mind. "Yes. I love designing. I don't know how the whole caste thing would work out then. Like, would I be a Six because of my job or a Three because of my history?"

"At this point, I think you'll be a One as the Princess of Franic!" Alya said, giggling, but she stopped after she saw the look on Marinette's face. "All right, well theoretically if you weren't to get the crown, and I still think you will, I believe you would be a Three who makes and designs clothes, but that's just me. Maybe you should ask Prince Adrien," she advised as they walked into the dining hall.

They sat next to each other, too late to eat with Adrien. Warm omelettes awaited them, and they gobbled them up as they gossiped about some of the girls. Alya, being the reporter she was, knew all the dirt on everyone. A girl from Russe was writing letters to a boy back home, breaking the rules of the Competition. Another girl constantly talked about being Princess, but no one thought she would win because she didn't seem to care about Adrien at all. Chloé apparently had an advantage because she used to come to the castle when she was younger; her father met with the king for political reasons. She was supposedly Adrien's first friend. The only thing that Alya hadn't managed to find out was the "Claire Scandal", as the two had denominated it. The Claire Scandal was essentially the reason as to why Mylène had been taken out of the Competition and Claire placed in.

There were no lessons today because it was Saturday, so the two went back to Marinette's room to finish the work assigned while Marinette was sick. Alya helped her until she was done and then they went to the Women's Room. It was at this point that it became a sort of requirement to be in the Women's Room, so as to not miss important announcements.

No one seemed to notice the arrival of Marinette and Alya except for Chloé and Sabrina, who sneered and giggled. Both Marinette and Alya rolled their eyes and walked to a plush couch in the back of the room. Before they could even say a word to each other, a girl named Gabby burst through the door.

"Prince Adrien and I went on a date!" she cried and suddenly all of the girls were crowded around her asking what had happened. "Alright, alright I'll tell you. Sit down." Everyone sat and paid close attention. "So," Gabby began, "I received a note last night saying that Adrien would be delighted to go on a date with me today. So, after breakfast this morning, we went to down to the theater and watched a movie! It was so romantic! He held my hand and everything!" she squealed. Marinette felt a pang of jealousy overtake her. She coughed a little.

"Did he kiss you?" asked a girl, her voice shaky.

"No, but I was his first date!" The room erupted into questions about what Adrien was like and if he was kind and if it was a good date.

"You alright Marinette? You look a bit upset," Alya said.

Marinette quickly shook her head, ignoring her thoughts. "Yeah, just a little, um, jealous is all." If she was going to be friends with Alya, she was going to have to be completely honest.

Alya laughed. "Oh, don't worry! I'm sure that you'll be next!"

Marinette blushed and looked at her hands.

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Alya turned out to be right. Marinette received a note after lunch, while she was in her room, drawing up designs. Mylène was ecstatic; she was practically jumping when Marinette opened the creamy envelope.

Dear Marinette, 

I wish to go on a date with you tonight. If this isn't alright with you, send me a note. If I receive nothing, expect me by quarter to midnight. I wish to show you something.

Yours, 

Adrien

Marinette's heart sipped a beat. A date?! Yes! Third wasn't bad! Adrien had gone out on another date right after Gabby, a horseback riding one with a girl named Valentina from Italle. Valentina was much kinder and regal than Gabby. She would make a great Princess.

"Third!" Mylène said. "Third's the lucky charm!" Marinette grew stiff at the words and she felt Tikki freeze in her pocket. Marinette tried to brush it off quickly, but Mylène was too excited to notice.

After Mylène had happily skipped away, Tikki flew out of Marinette's pocket. "Tikki, what am I going to do?! I have patrol with Chat Noir tonight!"

Since being chosen for Competition, Marinette had sort of forgotten about her duties. She had told Chat Noir she wouldn't be able to do patrol for awhile due to personal reasons. He hadn't questioned the matter, for which she was thankful. However, he had said he would always be waiting for her, and now that she was settled into the castle, she felt ready to go back to patrol. She was extremely thankful that there hadn't been an akuma lately.

"Calm down Marinette! Patrol ends at eleven, you should be able to get back here in time for the date," Tikki said.

Marinette let out a sigh of relief.

She went to dinner, excited for the night she was about to have. Adrien caught her eye during the meal, and she nodded, confirming their plans.

Mylène dressed her up and then went off to bed, yawning.

The clock in Marinette's room chimed, meaning it was nine o'clock. Tikki flew out of her pocket. "Tikki, transform me!"

The familiar transformation took place, a mask forming over her face, her body being encased in the spandex suit. It felt normal and right. She felt confident as Ladybug, but there were no distinct differences between Ladybug and Marinette. They were, after all, the same person.

She took off into the night, yo-yo swinging off and tying onto the branches of trees. She felt more free than ever before as she soared.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She landed on their normal building, the hidden roof of an apartment complex. He wasn't there yet. He had always been late. She sat down and clipped her yo-yo back to her hip.

And suddenly he was there. Same tussled golden locks, same slit green eyes, same smug expression. "Glad to have you back, my lady," he said as he kissed her hand.

"Glad to be back, Chat," she said as she snatched her hand away.

"Where've you been?" he asked as he settled down across from her on the rooftop.

"I told you not to ask me about it," she said, eyeing him wearily.

"Don't tell me you're a part of the Competition!" he said, and before she could react, he laughed. "I'm just kidding, I'd know if you were one of them."

Ladybug squinted her eyes. "How exactly would you know?"

"I watch the newscasts, duh," he said matter-of-factly, but she could have sworn she saw an unreadable glint in his eye. "Anyway," he said, changing the subject. "I've missed you."

"Is that so?" Chat nodded. "Well, I guess... I've missed you too," she admitted in a small voice.

Chat turned red, but continued speaking. "My lady, did I hear you correctly?" he teased, scooting closer. "Can you repeat that?"

"I'm not saying it again," she said, glaring into the glittering city below.

Chat's heart began to beat faster. "You know, I've been thinking and-"

Before he could finish, everything went silent. He couldn't even hear himself breathing. It was as if all of the sound in the world had been shut off. They saw a white, masked figure run through the streets below, sneaking up on tourists out late that couldn't hear him coming. He would then suck them up into something on his wrist. Ladybug and Chat both sprang into action, ready to kick some akuma ass.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Panting, Ladybug and Chat Noir limped down the street. They stopped by a canal. "Chat..." Ladybug began, trying to catch her breath. "Thank you... back there... you... you saved me." Chat had taken a blow for Ladybug when the Sound Shrinker had tried to knock Ladybug out while she was trying to figure what to do with the Lucky Charm. Chat's back was probably badly bruised, but he had done so with no second thought.

He gave her a funny look, as if wondering why she would even thank him. "Anytime, my lady."

She looked at him, surprised. He never seemed to realize how his actions could have consequences. He was always far too ready to jump to her rescue, to try and save her. He never thought about himself, or about what could happen to him if he got injured, really injured. She looked into his eyes, and felt a rush of something flow through her. She felt... home.

Her earrings and his ring both beeped at the same time and then went their separate ways, which, oddly enough, turned out to be the same way. They then both turned direction, so as not to meet.

When Marinette got back to her room she destransformed and dove into the bed, not even bothering to take the expensive dress off.

She desperately tried not to think about the feeling she got when she looked into Chat's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gahhhhhh, I'm such an idiot! I forgot to upload this! My bad!

Dear Adrien,

I am so sorry that I was not available last night! There was an emergency back home that I had to take care of. I know that I'm not supposed to ask of this, but perhaps we can make it up sometime? 

Yours Truly,

Marinette

Marinette sighed, staring at the note she had just written. She was aware of the rules and she was also aware that she was not supposed to ask the prince to go on a date with her, but considering they were close, she thought he wouldn't mind. There was, of course, the hypothetical issue that he was angry with her for blowing off their date and would immediately eliminate her, but Adrien just didn't seem like that type of guy.

She folded the note and placed it in an envelope, sealing it with the warm wax and stamp to her right. The Agreste coat of arms stared back up at her and she felt guilt seep into her frame. She knew her apology wasn't enough. She handed the note to Mylène when she walked in, and got dressed in a very simple, knee-length blue dress.

As she walked into breakfast, she saw that Adrien was there and he eyed her carefully. The funny thing was that he looked apologetic. Shouldn't it be the other way around. He had once again saved her a place, and Alya winked at her as she passed. Marinette seated herself and began to eat the cheese Danish and blueberry tart in front of her. As she swallowed the luxurious food, Adrien leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"May I speak with you later?" he asked. She gulped and nodded his way. They didn't speak for the rest of the meal.

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As all of the girls walked out of the makeshift classroom, they noticed Adrien standing off to the side, leaning against a wall across from them. The girls whispered and giggled. As Marinette walked up to him, she could hear the quiet behind her as the girls yearned to listen.

"Please excuse us ladies. We have business to attend to," Adrien said, sounding rather grim. The girls murmured as they left, wondering what happened on their date and if she was getting eliminated. Marinette herself had come to the conclusion that this must be why Adrien wanted to speak with her.

Adrien cleared his throat. "Marinette, let's, um, go to the gardens." She nodded, silently questioning if this was the end.

While they were walking around the hedge maze, she couldn't help but murmur, "This is where we first met."

Adrien turned to her his eyes so full of hurt and out of nowhere, threw his arms around her. "Marinette, I am so, so sorry about last night. Something extremely important came up and I... I just couldn't make it. I thought about visiting you to apologize, but it was late and I thought you would be mad. I'm deeply sorry for this grievance. Could you ever find it within yourself to forgive me?" He pulled away from her, looking into her eyes.

Marinette tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Last night. The date. I didn't come to your room to get you."

Marinette laughed. "How coincidental! I sent you a note this morning. Did you not receive it?" He shook his head. "Oh, Mylène must have just left it with your butler since you were at breakfast. I wasn't in my room last night. Something... important came up."

He furrowed his brows. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, coming up with a lie quickly. "Yes, I just had to contact my family. There was a small fire at the bakery. Luckily, nothing was broken or destroyed. Everything's fine."

Adrien smiled. "Wonderful. I'm glad nothing bad happened. And don't worry, we'll go on plenty more dates." Marinette blushed at this statement. They sat at a bench and talked about policies that Adrien wanted to put in place. King Gabriel disagreed with them, thinking that helping the lower castes was frivolous and unnecessary. Marinette admired Adrien's good heart. He was too kind for his own good, but the country would prosper under his reign.

Once the conversation had reached a lull, Marinette couldn't but help but ask, "Do you have a favorite yet? You know, someone who you would be happy marrying." The question had been floating around in her head for ages. Of course she wanted it to be her, but more than anything she was curious.

He mulled over the idea for a few seconds carefully planning out a reply. "I don't think I've grown close enough to anyone yet to think of marriage. There are definitely girls that I find to be attractive and regal. People that would make a good princess. But I'm not in love yet or anything. At least not with anyone here..."

Marinette jumped at his ending. "Not anyone here? So, you are in love? With someone that's not in the Competition?" He nodded somberly. "Well," Marinette continued, "why are you continuing the Competition? If you're in love, go tell that person how you feel."

He looked up at her. "You don't understand."

"What?"

"My father is making me do this. I don't think he would have it otherwise. It's all for show. I expressed before this whole thing began that I already had my eyes on someone, but he didn't care. He just told me to cross my fingers and pray that she would be in the Competition," he said gloomily.

"And is she? In the Competition?" Marinette questioned.

He shook his head, grimacing. "I don't think so. To tell you the truth, I don't really know who she is."

"What? How can you not know who she is?" Marinette asked in disbelief. How can you be in love with someone you don't know?

"It's complicated. I only get to see her when I go into town," he admitted.

"Well, I'm sure she likes you back. How could she not? You're Prince of Franic!"

"That's the funny part. She doesn't know who I am either," he chuckled, the irony of the situation sinking in.

"Wait... But how-"

"Sometimes I go into town in disguise. That's how we meet. She's in disguise too."

"Maybe she's famous and doesn't want all the attention," Marinette said.

"Yeah. She's just so... perfect. She's got these big blue eyes and these cute little freckles on her nose. She carries herself with such confidence and poise. She's far more royal than me. She's caring and daring. She's brave and she... she's simply amazing. Everyone loves her," he lamented, his eyes dreamy, his mouth turned up in a little smile. His expression slowly dripped into anguish. "She could never love me. I'm nothing compared to her."

Marinette just stared at him. The strong prince she had always seen on television, the kind man she admired, the boy she liked, was melting in front of her. And she had no idea what to do. She slowly put an arm around him. His green eyes were hazy and she saw a single tear drip down his chin. She said the one thing she could in that moment. "It's alright Adrien. I'm here."

They held each other for a few more moments until he had let it all out. "I'm okay," he murmured. "Thank you, Marinette. Really just... thank you." She smiled at Adrien. Although she now knew that her feelings for him weren't quite reciprocated, she would always be willing to be his friend before anything else.

"You don't have to thank me. You know where to find me if you need me," Marinette said as he stood up.

"Marinette," he said, blue eyes meeting green. "If it weren't her, it would be you." And then he ran off, leaving her to decrypt his message and blush to herself.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette walked into the ball room the next day with Alya. They were to find their places so that tonight during their entrance, there would be no confusion.

The royal family from Germane was coming to visit to meet with the king about foreign policy. Due to the Competition being in place, a ball was being thrown in their honor.

Marinette was happy that she was seated next to Alya. They both walked back to the Women's Room.

"I'm so glad that lessons were canceled!" Alya said as they both sat on a chaise.

"I know! It's far too exciting of a day to concentrate on math!" Marinette said, giggling.

"Uh-oh, look who's coming," Alya said, suddenly aloof. Chloé and Sabrina were making their way over to Marinette and Alya.

"Marinette. Ally," Chloé said, eyeing the pair.

"It's Alya," Alya corrected.

"Right, right..." Chloé said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what are you wearing to the ball tonight?"

Marinette glared at Chloé for being so rude to her friend, but spoke anyway. "I don't know. None of us do." Or shouldn't, she added in her head.

Chloé smirked and twirled her hair around her finger. "Well, I'm sure whatever your maid can come up with, mine will be better."

"Care to bet on that?" Alya gambled, smirking as well.

"Of course. And what happens to the loser?" Chloé questioned.

"Loser has to tell Prince Adrien that they are deeply and insanely in love with him and then kiss him. This can either work for them or against them," Alya said.

Chloé snorted. "Ha, that would only work out in my favor! Or, uh, I mean, Marinette is definitely going to lose and then Prince Adrien would be disgusted by her sudden move."

"Do we have a deal?" Alya held out her hand, eyebrow raised.

"Chloé... maybe you should-" Sabrina started.

"Deal," Chloé confirmed, shaking hands with Alya, and then sauntering away with a scuttling Sabrina at her side.

As soon as they were gone, Marinette grabbed Alya's shoulders and started shaking her. "What were you thinking?! Putting me in a bet with Chloé against my will!"

"You never intervened."

"You didn't let me!" Marinette threw up her hands and then pouted, slouching in her seat.

"Hey," Alya put a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I promise you, everything will be alright. I'm sure Prince Adrien would be more than happy to receive a kiss from you. And your dress will be so much better than hers that you don't even have to worry about it."

"Promise?" Marinette squeaked, looking up at her best friend.

"I promise," Alya swore, crossing her heart.

The girls were sent to their rooms to change into their evening gowns. Marinette waited anxiously on the bed.

"Tikki," she began, "if I lose this bet, I'll have to kiss Adrien. How am I going to do that without making a fool of myself? I'll be pushing myself onto him! Breaking the rules! And I mean, sure I like him, but I not madly in love with him! I'll get sent home!"

"Don't worry Marinette. I sure Mylène put loads of work into this dress!" Tikki said. It was true that Mylène had been spending a bunch of time down in the sewing rooms. Sometimes she'd come up, give Marinette a once-over, and then go back down.

Mylène's familiar knock sounded at the door and Marinette allowed her to come in, Tikki flying behind the dresser.

"Hi Marinette!" Mylène smiled as she tried to carry the heavy garment bag. Marinette quickly got up to help her and they placed it on her bed. "I worked really hard on this, so I hope you like it," she said, unzipping the bag.

Marinette was greeted by a long, lengthy gown. It wasn't quite a ball gown, but it wasn't sleek and slim. It started as a light pink that got darker towards the bottom, but you could only see it if you were really looking. A soft, creamy see-through material worked as sleeves that reached the wrist. They were long a flowy and sparkled iridescently. The dress itself had a sweetheart neckline and a deep red sash along the waist. The same deep red color came as a ribbon for her hair. The entire dress glittered and caught the light at every angle.

"Wow," Marinette said, her voice near a whisper. She turned and hugged her maid. "Mylène, you've really outdone yourself. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

Mylène pulled away and said, "Now then, let's get you into this, shall we?"

It took quite awhile to get into the dress. The corset kept getting stuck or a button came loose. After it was put on, Marinette's makeup was done rather heavily. she had blushing cheeks and deep red lips. The ribbon was tied into a bow and her hair was half-up, half-down. She was given a small and contemporary necklace and a glittering headband that matched her golden shoes.

"Mylène," Marinette said facing the mirror, "you are an artist."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette entered the ball room quite late due to all of the wardrobe malfunctions. She nodded to the guards who opened the doors for her and suddenly the ball room was quiet. Even the string quartet had stopped playing. Everyone in the room was staring at her and she looked down and pulled a piece of hair away from her face. Whispers filled the room and she didn't look up until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Adrien stared down at her, adoration and awe in his eyes. Marinette carefully curtseyed. He bowed back at her, something unheard of from a royal family member. She didn't need blush at the moment.

The band started back up again and Adrien offered her his hand. She took it and together they swept across the dance floor, nobles dancing along with them. "You look... just wondrously beautiful. I mean, uh, you always do but..."

She giggled at his shyness. "You look quite dashing yourself, Your Highness."

"I told you not to call me that," he said, smirking.

She shrugged while they waltzed. "It just felt kind of right for the moment, Adrien."

He smiled at the sound of his name on her lips.

The song ended and he bowed and she curtseyed. She made her way to her dinner seat, knowing the meal was about to start. Alya leaned over. "You won," she said.

Marinette smiled. Chloé had worn a huge ball gown that was white but dripped down to a honey yellow. It was a divine dress, but it couldn't compare to Marinette's. She had stormed off during the dance.

The food was delicious, more grand than ever before. Marinette ate it all up in seconds, not realizing her true hunger. She got to meet the royal family of Germane. They were kind, although sort of reserved and she felt lackluster near them. As more songs played she talked to Alya until she was swept up by a guard to dance. Many of the girls were dancing with guards or nobles. Marinette sat, looking at her manicured nails until a hand sprung into her vision.

She looked up and met stormy grey-blue eyes. The blond stared down at her and said, "Your hand for the next dance." The way he said it was imperative and enchanting. Marinette found her hand grabbing onto his without her having to think about it. He swept her up and suddenly they were dancing. And he was a good dancer. Marinette was surprised by how well he could lead.

"Who are you?" she asked, incredulous.

"Felix. Felix Agreste."

"Wait, Agreste? Are you Adrien's cousin?"

"Adrien?" He raised a brow as Marinette noticed her slipup. She had called him Adrien not Prince Adrien. "That close, are you?"

"Oh! Uh, no, no! We, uh..." Marinette stammered. "So, are you his cousin?"

He grimaced. "Try brother."

Marinette stumbled and gasped. "What?!"

"My mother had me during her break with my father. I'm older than him by about five years. Because my mother married into royalty and she had an affair with a guard, I'm considered illegitimate to the throne. I'm just a noble. Although I could be a hell of a lot better a king than him," he said nodding towards Adrien, who was dancing with Chloé. Marinette's heart caught fire.

She racked her brain for memory of the king and queen's separation. Of course, this was before her time, but she did remember hearing her parents talk about it once. King Gabriel was caught having an affair and so the queen had one too. It was considered a break. "I'm sorry," Marinette said, ignoring the dig at Adrien.

The song ended and they gave their formalities. "I wish to see you later," Felix said. "Monday evening, ten o'clock, by the library. There is something we must discuss," he finished and kissed her cheek.

Felix left, Marinette blushing like a fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I normally don't leave author's notes at the end of a story until it is the actual end of the story. But, in case you were wondering who Felix is, he was the original idea for Chat Noir/Adrien. Miraculous Ladybug was originally going to be a 2D cartoon, sort of like an anime, before that whole idea was scratched and the Miraculous Ladybug we all know and love was created. However, I think Felix is super fun to write (and read), so I decided to include him in this! And you all thought Nath would be the love rival! Hee hee!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter in this uploading spam! I plan on writing the next chapter in a couple of days. It should be up tomorrow.

Marinette spent Sunday in the Women's Room with the other girls. She sat reading a book as Alya flipped through a magazine. Marinette continuously looked at the clock, wanting the day to fly by so that she could finally see Felix. She knew that she would have to put up with all of Monday anyway, but she still wished dinner would come much more quickly.

What did Felix want to speak with her about? Had something happened? Was it urgent? No, if it had been urgent then he would have asked to meet her earlier on. What was it then? Did it concern Adrien? It must have, Felix was his brother after all and-

"Mari? You okay?" Alya asked. She waved a hand in front of her friend's face. She had noticed Marinette's far-off look and deep expression.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm just thinking about the girls that are left," she quickly lied.

It was true, to some extent. The fact that only seventeen girls were left doted on everyone's mind. The Competition had grown more intense than those who participated had initially imagined. Girls were starting to compare themselves to the others due to how much time they spent with Adrien. Marinette and Alya had both been on three dates. Valentina had been on four, more than any other girl, but Chloé had only been on three, much to her anger. Sabrina had been anxious because she had only been on two, but she was spending time with Adrien as they spoke. There was one girl, Destiny, who had still been on just one and she was beginning to freak out.

As people began to learn names and faces. they also began to judge. A poll had also recently come out, labeling the people's favorites. Valentina was in the lead, with a girl named Lila trailing not far behind. Lila was popular in multiple countries due to her father being a diplomat. Chloé was in third, which annoyed her to no end. She tried to speak lowly of Valentina and Lila to the other girls, but no one bought it. As far as Marinette knew, they were both very sweet girls. Alya was pretty high up in the numbers as well, a natural favorite. Marinette was somewhere in the middle, but it didn't bother too much. It was early on in the Competition and she knew where she stood with Adrien.

"I know," Alya agreed. "I can't believe that it's been nearly two months."

She was right. They were nearing September and Marinette had fully ingrained the Comeptition into her life. She still missed her parents like crazy and she wrote to them four times a week. She vividly described her adventures in the palace, talking about the lessons, the girls, and, of course, the prince. Due to postal costs and monetary reasons, her parents could only write once a week, but Marinette savored each letter and postcard. She stored them in her bedside table drawers, and anytime she was feeling particularly homesick, she would read through them and feel immensely happy. They said they loved the way Adrien sounded and that they hoped she would win.

Her mind drifting back to Adrien, she asked Alya, "What kind of dates have you been on with Adrien?"

Alya looked surprised. "Well, we went to watch movies in the theater downstairs. And then after that we went horseback riding and we had a picnic in the open space in the garden," she said, ticking them off on her fingers. "You?"

"Oh, we mostly go on walks in the gardens and around the palace," she replied sheepishly. She knew that their dates were less extravagent, but she cherished them. He was a different person around her, more open and... himself. He spoke to her about his views on the country's current state and what he would do as king. He didn't support the caste system, much to her appeal, and he wanted to bring people together. He was kind and welcoming extremely empathetic. She could see it in his eyes while they talked. He truly cared for his people.

Alya nodded, knowing that no matter the date, the two were an item. "Who do you think will be eliminated next?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Honestly? Her," Marinette said, jabbing a thumb back to Destiny, who watching a program on the television and biting her nails.

"Me too." Alya opened her mouth to say more, but a maid came in, telling them it was time for supper.

At dinner, Sabrina jabbered on about her date with Adrien and Marinette spared him a few glances, which he always shared. It was as if they had some telepathic relationship.

Marinette quickly fell asleep, wishing for Monday.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day was surprisingly fast. Destiny was gone after lunch and there seemed to be a sort of relief in the room as girls were thankful that it wasn't them. However, everyone was rather sad to see her go. She was a nice girl, if but a little spacey.

Adrien went on more dates, none of which were with Marinette.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, Marinette trekked out into the empty, night hallways to get to the library. She had persuaded Mylène to let her take her day dress off on her own, which she was still wearing. She was extremely curious as to what Felix had to say.

She found him outside the library and he grinned as he took her hand. "Hello. Glad you could make it."

"Me too," she said stupidly. Felix had taken the time to dress up to meet her, and she could smell his expensive cologne from here.

"Come," Felix said and he led her into the library. She sometimes came here to study graphs and numbers for her lessons, but he pulled her between two bookcases.

Marinette noted how close they were. "W-what did you want to talk about?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"I think you are devastatingly attractive. I am obsessed with every bit of you. I can't get you out of my mind." Marinette's eyes widened at his words, his bluntness. This was... new. He was new.

"Felix, I hardly know you..." she said, wary.

"I know, Marinette. I want that to change. I just want to know if you're willing for that to change."

Was she? Did she want to get to know him? This was a man older than her. Not by much, but still. He was strong. He was different. He was handsome beyond belief. He was enchanting. She was intoxicated by the very look of his grey eyes. Did she wish to be with him? She looked up into his eyes. She could see he meant every word. It was strange to find someone so eager to be with her. He was unlike anyone she knew.

She nodded slowly.

She wasn't afraid of him. She was actually rather attracted to him, his scent, the way he spoke, the way he was so outright. She was afraid of this new experience.

He smiled and cupped her face. It was an invitation. And for some odd reason, she found herself under his spell. She leaned towards him, angling her face up to his. Their lips were centimeters apart when the door crashed open.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Two guards were by the door; she could see them through the books. Felix scowled and picked up a book above Marinette's head. He walked out toward the voices.

"It's just me. I was getting a book."

While the men talked about safety precautions for night, Marinette crept away. She knew that there was another door at the back of the library and she left through it, going back to her room.

After she had shut her door quietly, she flopped down her bed and groaned into the pillow, Tikki flying out of her pocket.

"What was I thinking Tikki? I'm in the Competition for God's sake!" she cried.

"Marinette, it's okay."

"No, it's not. Tikki, you know the rules! I do too! I can be killed for what I just did!"

"Marinette, he know the rules too. He's just as far in the wrong as you are. It's not your fault that he instigated it. And you didn't actually kiss."

"But we almost did!"

Tikki shook her head. "You didn't know that that was what he wanted."

Marinette felt tears prick at her eyes. Fear leaked into her whisper. "That's the worst part Tikki. I wanted it too."

There was silence for a moment.

Tikki sighed. "Go to bed Marinette. You're exhausted. Sleep on it, give it a few days. You'll be okay."

Marinette laid under her sheets, sleep taking over her worried mind.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Chat, can you like two people?" Ladybug asked, solemnly eyeing the building below them. It was Wednesday, and they were on patrol, lying on the same roof as always.

Chat Noir looked over at her, surprise registering on his face. "I... Yes. You can. W-why are you asking?"

Ladybug shook her head. "I have two guys stuck on my mind."

"Would one of them happen to be me?" Chat asked mischievously, however she caught a hopeful glint in his eyes. She felt her chest ache at the pain he must be in. She knew it with Adrien, with not being his number one. She knew how much it hurt.

"No, I'm sorry. Not today. Just two boys."

"Ah, I see. What are they like?"

Ladybug feared that describing Adrien would give him away, so she talked about the side that wasn't noticeable to the public. "One of them is a very nice guy. He's seems kind of reserved until you really get to know him. He's very passionate and he cares deeply about others. He's just... amazing, far out of my league."

"The other guy is dark and mysterious. He's enticing and he draws me in. I can't seem to stay away from him."

"I don't know what to do," she finished, a look of complete confusion taking over her features.

"Which one do you like more?" Chat asked, serious.

"the first," she said without hesitation.

"I see. Spend time with each. Get to know them better. Your heart will do the rest." It was rather poetic for Chat. Sure, he was romantic and flirty, but it all seemed to be a bit of a joke. However, he seemed to know exactly what say in that moment.

"Thank you, Chat. That was very... helpful."

They talked for hours into the night, about love and life and family and the people of Franic. The conversation casually turned to the Competition.

"So, who do you like?" Chat asked, eyes averted for some reason.

"Well... Valentina seems nice. And that Alya girl is wonderful." Ladybug had prepared for a question like this from Chat.

Chat looked at her, eyes wide. "How do you know that she's wonderful?"

Ladybug, however, had not prepared for this. "Um... she's from my province." This was a complete lie. Ladybug was from Parisèè; Alya was from the south of Franic.

"Oh. I see." He looked away again and then said, "I like Marinette."

"Marinette?"

"Yes. Marinette. Why? Do you not like her or something?" He looked defensive and slightly angry.

"N-no, I just... Why?"

He shrugged. "She seems sweet. Strong. Good of heart. This country... this world needs that."

Ladybug thought over his words. Was she really what the country needed? Could she really help the people? The world? It made her realize just what a big deal the Competition was. It wasn't just Adrien. it was a position. A lifestyle. A whole new world.

After some time, their miraculouses beeped, signaling their need to leave. "Goodbye, My Lady," Chat said as he jumped away.

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The next day, Adrien had called Marinette for a date. They walked around the castle talking about frivolous things, but inside Marinette's head she was thinking about her conversation with Chat last night. She thought about the boy problem and decided that she should get to know more about Adrien.

"So, Adrien..." she began. However, she didn't have time to begin because there was a loud crash of glass and the sound of a gun being shot. The wall near where she had been standing now had a hole in it and Adrien had grabbed her arm and pulled her before she had been hit. He was now dragging her down a hallway urgently, making her wonder just what was going on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to reach me on tumblr if you want. My URL is http://uncommonalistic.tumblr.com I mostly post ML stuff, with some astrology and funny things in the mix as well. Enjoy this chapter!

Guards were yelling and pushing Adrien and Marinette down the hall. Loud sirens filled the hallways, wailing a warning song. Adrien was running as fast as he could and he was practically dragging Marinette behind him as she glanced around her. Windows were breaking in explosions of glass and she felt a shard cut her cheek. She reached up to touch the small scrape, and her hand came back dotted with blood. Adrien didn't seem to be surprised by what was going on, and he clearly knew how to perform the procedure at hand.

He rushed her down a hall flipping a switch behind a large painting of flowers. The wall behind the panting indented before swaying to the side, as if on hinges. She peered into the endless darkness, confused as to where he had lead her.

"Go," he said, his voice rushed as he looked behind him, checking to see if they were being followed. "Go!" he cried, gently pushing her into the darkness. She stumbled a little on what she believed to be a set of stairs. She heard the door close behind her and lock in place. Just as she was about to fall down the whole flight of steps, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her.

"I'm sorry," Adrien's voice whispered. "I didn't mean to push you like that. We just needed to move."

"I know," she whispered back. "It's okay."

He cleared his throat. "Do you want me to go in front of you? I know the stairwell better than you do," he said, implying that something like this had happened before.

"Sure," she replied.

"Okay. Hold on, turn to the side. It's a tight squeeze." He moved her carefully so that she was standing sideways, her back against the wall, her feet on different steps. Adrien moved slowly around her. He wasn't lying when he said it was a tight squeeze. Suddenly, they were chest to chest and she was pressed back against the wall. She felt her heart rate quicken as his body brushed against hers. She was thankful for the darkness so that he couldn't see her blush.

Once he was in front of her, he grabbed her left wrist and said, "Okay. Let's go." As they moved further down under the castle, his hand slowly shifted from encompassing her wrist to actually holding her hand. She nearly squeaked out in surprise when his hand wrapped around hers. It was warm and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. She could feel her cheeks heat up again as she shyly squeezed back.

They went on like that for a while, holding hands and walking down the damp, twisted staircase, until they reached a glowing light. Lamps connected to a concrete wall illuminated a metal door with no window to offer a peek at what was inside. Adrien let go of her hand and Marinette couldn't help but feel a slight sadness seep into her heart. She held back a frown as he opened the door to reveal a room that had been dugout into the ground. The walls were lined with metal painted white and the floor was simply concrete with a carpenter's glaze over it.

Inside of the room, the girls cowered in corners, shielding themselves from the door. However, when they saw Adrien standing in the doorway, they perked up and sighed in relief. One girl, Cleo, from Amerie, even ran into his arms. He held her for a short amount of time before letting go, obviously uncomfortable. Cleo didn'e seem to take notice; she hung onto his arm as he walked over to speak with King Gabriel.

Marinette darted over to Alya, who happily hugged her best friend. "Thank God, you're here. I was so worried. All of the girls were in the Women's Room, but we knew you were on a date with Adrien and... Jeez, what happened out there?"

"I don't really know..." Marinette said, glancing back at the door. It had been locked now that all of the royal family and girls had been accounted for.

Alya gasped. "Marinette, your cheek!" she exclaimed, pointing at Marinette's cheek. Marinette only then remembered her cut and brought her fingers up to it once again. It was more heavily bleeding now. It wasn't too big a deal, it only needed to be cleaned and bandaged. However, some of the girls looked back at her and covered their mouths in surprise, their eyes wide.

Adrien jogged over, carefully cupping her face in his hand. He looked closely at the cut and Marinette stared into his bright green eyes as they flitted over her features. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, true anguish in his eyes.

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know why you're all so worried about me," she said, although she was only looking at Adrien. "Your Highness, it's just a small cut."

He looked slightly angry, with her or himself, she didn't know. "Mar-... Miss Dupain-Cheng," he began, catching his mistake. "You got injured because of me... because I was naïve and slow. Can you forgive me?"

She laughed a little, and then said in a voice so quiet that only he could hear. "Adrien, it's not your fault. Please... don't worry about it." She smiled up at him, thankful for his chivalry.

He eyed her smile and she could see the sadness in his eyes. Even with her reassurance that it wasn't, did he really think that it was his fault? He spontaneously wrapped her up in his arms, his head buried in her neck. "I'm still sorry."

She hesitantly held him back. She closed her eyes in the hug, and she could feel his heartbeat against her chest. It was a warm and wonderful feeling and when he stepped back, she felt her hand raise up to him, as if to pull him back. He chuckled at her and she dropped it suddenly, blushing and looking a her toes. She gasped as Adrien lifted up her head, holding her chin gently. He looked at her and then gave her a kind smile before walking away to a crying girl named Ophélie.

Turning around, Marinate noticed that Alya had sat down and she was staring up at her friend with a devious smirk. "What's that look for?" Marinette asked as she sat down on her cot, crossing her legs to create room.

"Oh, nothing," Alya said, cocking her head. "Just watching my best friend fall even deeper in love with her boyfriend..."

"He's not my boyfriend! It doesn't work like that! He's the prince!" Marinette cried, her cheeks turning rosy. She looked behind her. Adrien was rubbing Camilla's back as she sobbed quietly. She felt jealousy ring through her.

"Well, I'm just saying that most people in platonic relationships don't look at each other the way you two were," Alya said, winking. Marinette turned back to the girl, eyes wide. Had he really been looking at her like that? Did he really care that much? Di he really think... romantically about her?

Time moved slowly in the safe room. Adrien moved just as slowly between the girls, talking to each one. If a girl was asleep, he wouldn't wake her, but this had only happened once, because anytime Adrien was close, the girls would rouse each other into consciousness so that they could talk to him.

Marinette never fell asleep. She couldn't. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She watched Alya as she slept and she watched Chloé glance nervously at the door and she watched King Gabriel flip through papers that may have been designs or graphs about the war.

When Adrien finally got to her, he pulled her to a small corner in the back of the room. As they settled down, the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "Please don't leave."

"Huh?" Marinette questioned, exasperated at his opening to the conversation.

"Isabella already wants to leave."

"Why?"

"The attack. I can't blame her. But I... I really don't want you to leave. And I get it of you do, and I wouldn't be mad. I mean, of course I'd be upset! But I'd understand if you wanted to and-"

"Adrien. " she put a hand on his shoulder. "i have no intention of leaving the Competition unless asked to."

His mouth fell open and his eyes widened. Was he blushing?! He quickly shook his head, returning to the task at hand. "I... okay. Thank you." He gave her a smile.

"So, what's happening? I know I should be scared, but why? What's going on?" she asked, shifting into a more comfortable sitting position.

"You mean you don't know? We're under a rebel attack," he said, no surprise in his voice.

"A what?! Where are the guards?! The maids?! The kitchen chefs, the butlers, the gardeners?! Where are they? Are they okay? Why aren't you freaking out?"

Adrien's face was grim, but he wasn't panicking. "Marinette, calm down. The maids, the workers... they all have their own safe rooms. This one is the royal family's. Since you girls are with us, it was altered to include more space and more cots. Most of the employees of the castle are fine. Except for... the guards. They fight back against the rebels, securing the palace. Death rates are very small and rare but... there are always moments when things get... bad."

Marinette shivered and Adrien grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wish I was stronger. I'm just worried."

He gave her a smile. "Don't be stupid. You're plenty strong. And I'm worried to. I have a friend who's a guard. We're pretty close. I don't know what I'd do if he..." Adrien stared off into space, wincing as he thought of his best friend dying in an attack on the castle. "And it's hard. When there are attacks I mean. It reminds me of Mom."

Marinette's breath caught in her throat. The queen. She had forgotten all about the queen. The queen who died saving her son. She had read about it in the paper. Adrien was in harm's way and the queen had taken a bullet to the chest for him. She didn't die immediately, and Marinette could only imagine the pain that put Adrien in. She looked up at him, tears welling up in his eyes.

"It's not your fault, you know," she murmured. "You couldn't have prevented it. She chose to save you. And that shows how much she loved you."

He looked up at her. "How do you know? How do you know that it wasn't just something she did without thinking?"

"Oh, Adrien. She probably didn't think. And that's the good of it. If someone is that willing to put their life on the line that they don't even think about it? There's no way they don't love you. And I could see the way your mother treated you on newscasts. And I'm sure it was even more like that at home. She loved you so much Adrien. It's not your fault. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Tiny sobs filled the room, so quiet that even she could barely hear him. She looked around the room, noticing that everyone was asleep, even the king. She could feel her own eyes growing heavy.

She moved herself to Adrien, holding him in her arms. He immediately held her too, continually crying as she let out a few tears as well. She rubbed his back slowly. The boy I like is crying in front of me and I think I'm doing the right thing, she thought.

They stayed like that for a while, in each other's arms, even after he stopped crying. Once Marinette was about to fall asleep, Adrien pulled away saying, "I'm sorry for being a blubbering mess. You're really comforting, though."

She smiled. "I'm always here."

He smiled back. "Come on, let's go to bed." They both walked back to their respective cots, immediately falling into a deep slumber.

Neither of them noticed the two small kwamis in their pockets high-five as the two parted.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette woke to the sound of a loud, metallic screech. She looked up to see the door open, and a guard stepped carefully into the room. "Uh... hello? The attack's done and- Adrien!"

Adrien's head jerked up at the mention of his name and his face visibly brightened. "Nino!" he shouted, rushing to hug the guard. The boy, Nino, was about their age and he had dark skin and dark hair, which was covered by the uniform cap the guards had to wear. He wore thick-framed glasses and he seemed rather casual and out of place in the palace. However, the prince seemed so glad to see him that Marinette guessed that this was the guard that he had been talking about, his friend.

"The attack is over. Please carefully make your way to your rooms. Breakfast will be brought to you," Nino said, and stayed behind to talk with Adrien.

As Marinette left the room, she couldn't help but notice Alya glance back at Adrien and Nino. "You all right there Alya?" Marinette asked. She had never questioned how much her friend cared about Adrien, but that movement alone made he wonder just how deep Alya's feelings for the boy went. Did she want to be here? Did she like him? She seemed to push Marinette towards him and she had always seen Alya as her friend and not her rival. And yet, here she was, staring at the boy of Marinette's dreams.

"Huh? Oh... yeah, just kind of worried to see if my maid is okay," Alya said sheepishly.

"Mylène!" Marinette cried out. She had forgotten about her maid. How had she done that? She rushed up the steps, most of the girls milling about, not knowing what to do. She tripped a few times in her heels, but she still managed to locate the switch and open the door and the painting.

When she stepped out into the hallway, it was like a whole new world. There were shards of glass everywhere, coating the floor and stabbing into the walls. Wallpaper was torn, vases were smashed, and the picture she had just stepped out from had a large gash across it. Some of the doors were splintered with bullet holes and there was a stain not far from her that looked suspiciously like blood.

She was staring around in pure, horrid awe as she felt a push from behind her. Marinette stumbled and fell onto the glass, crying out in pain. Alya rushed to her side helping her up whilst glaring at Chloé behind her.

"Oops, sorry! I didn't see you there! You probably shouldn't just stand in place though. It isn't safe," Chloé said, her voice dripping with sickly sweetness.

"Not when you're around," Marinette muttered.

Chloé gave a fake pout. "Marinette, being mean to me isn't going to help. I'm only apologizing for an accident. You already have a bunch of those, right?"

Some of the girls snickered and Alya rolled her eyes pulling her friend away. "Come on Mari, let's get you to the hospital wing."

\--------------------------------------------

The hospital wing was halfway full when Marinette got there and guards were in the beds with injuries ranging from abrasions to gunshot wounds. Marinette felt silly with her various cuts from glass. The one on her cheek had healed overnight, but the doctor still put some disinfectant on the bandage. Her right arm had taken the full brute of Chloé's trick. It was much worse than the one on her cheek and when Dr. Beller asked her how she got the various heavily bleeding cuts, she embarrassedly said she had tripped on the way to her room. Those wounds had to be fully cleaned, since the glass had been on the floor. It took all of Marinette's strength not to scream as she cleaned her wounds, lightly jabbing her with a cotton swab soaked in disinfectant. She did, however, writhe in pain and let a few tears slip down to her chin, dropping on her dress.

Adrien just so happened to come in while she was being bandaged and a nurse was handing her tissues as she atemptted to dry her eyes. Her arm felt like it was on fire and she couldn't seem to stop crying until he came in. She quickly dried her eyes, but she knew they would still be red. She didn't dare move her arm, for fear it wouldbegin to burn again.

After Dr. Beller and the nurse left (offering Marinette a wink and nodding back at Adrien), he rushed over and grabbed her left hand. "Are you all right? What happened? Some girls said Chloé did this? Did she? Are you all right?"

She giggled a little at his flustered state, but even that didn't seem to make him relax. He pulled up a chair as she began to answer his questions. "I'm doing fine. It hurts... well the cleaning did more than anything, but I'll be fine. It's really nothing bad at all, just a few cuts. I fell onto some glass that was on the floor in the hallway. Chloé... Chloé accidentally bumped into me. I was just standing around looking at the mess. It was my own fault."

Marinette had trouble lying about Chloé. She felt that the girl deserved to leave. She was horrible to all of the girls, even Sabrina. However, they all seemed to bow down to her. She was mean, rude, unkind, and pure evil. Marinette did think though that everyone had a chance to redeem themselves. And if Chloé was going to be eliminated, it would be at her own expense, not somebody else's.

Adrien gazed down at her, internally questioning her claim with what Chloé had done. He sighed, deciding to agree with her. "All right, whatever you say. I'm just glad you're not severely hurt. Isabella is gone," he added, changing the subject.

"Oh? How long have I been in here?" Marinette asked. There was no clock in the room, at least that she could see of.

"A few hours. I'm sorry that you haven't been able to eat, doctor's orders, but I stole you some bread from the kitchen." He held up two small rolls of bread. Marinette eagerly ate them, realizing just how long it had been since she had last eaten. Nearly a day.

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry Isabella left," she said in between bites.

"No, it's okay. It just means that she isn't the one, right?" He cocked his head to the side, giving her a small smile.

"Do you actually believe that? That your soulmate is in the Competition?" she asked, finishing her bread.

"Wow, you finished that fast." There was a pause. "I-I mean, not fast, I get you were hungry, but still, well, um..."

Marinette laughed. "Adrien, it's fine. You don't always have to be a gentleman. I was just hungry."

"Yeah, I... I get that. Anyway, I do believe that. I mean, they have to be, right? Do you?" he asked.

"I don't really know. I just don't get the whole soulmate thing." His eyes widened and she quickly rushed to further explain herself. "I-I mean, it's not that I don't believe in true love! I do! But... I wouldn't use a word like 'soulmate'. It's too strong. Love is love. It doesn't matter between who, the intensity is always there. I think you'll meet someone you love so deeply you can't categorize it, and they'll feel the same way. And then you'll get married and have beautiful royal babies and rule over a country."

He stared at her in wonder. It sounded like something His Lady would say. He grinned. "I get that."

She gave him a small smile. However, she grew red the longer he looked at her and she eventually just had to turn away. Why couldn't she look him in the eye?

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I guess I'll see you at dinner. I asked Dr. Beller and she said that you would be fine by then." She heard his chair scrape as he moved to the door.

"Olé."

He looked back at her and she looked at him in horror.

"Okay! I meant to say okay! Why would I say 'olé'? That makes no sense! Yeah! Uh..." She smacked herself on the forehead, much to his amusement. He laughed, gave her a familiar salute, and walked away, leaving her red-faced and confused.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Where had she seen that salute before?

That night at dinner she caught Felix's eye. He mouthed the word 'library' and then held up all ten of his fingers. She nodded quickly and went back to her meal.

At ten o'clock she met him in the hallway outside of the library and instead grabbed her and held her to him. "I was so worried," he murmured into her ear as she slowly returned the gesture. There were no guards around and no maids bustling about, but she was still fearful of being caught.

It was then that it hit her that she hadn't even thought of Felix during the attack. She was too preoccupied with Adrien and Alya to ponder the thought of where her Romeo was. He looked fine, no scratches, but she still felt relief at seeing him. Although, she knew that if he and Adrien were swapped and she knew that Felix was safe and had no idea the whereabouts of Adrien, she would feel more worried about Adrien than Felix. And that was what made her push the boy away.

"I'm sorry Felix, but you know the rules. We can't do this. You're a very nice man and I'd be lying if I said you weren't handsome or charming. However, I can't do this. I'm sorry," she lamented.

"But, Marinette-"

"No, Felix. I like someone else," she boldly stated. It took Felix a minute to think it through and he grimaced.

"You can't possibly like that prick. He's an idiot. He will do this country no good. I've known him since he was a baby. He's weak. He's indecisive. Marinette, he's a boy. A child. He can't treat you well. I'm-"

"I don't care what you are, Felix." Marinette glared up at him, fire in her eyes. "I like Adrien. He is the future king of this country and there is nothing you can do about that. And I'll be damned if I don't fight in this Competition. Because I like Prince Adrien Agreste VI. And nothing will stop that."

"We'll see. I'll be here when he breaks your heart and you come running back," Felix said, grinning and leaning against the wall.

Marientte rolled her eyes, turned on her heal, and stormed back to he room.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

When she crawled into bed for the night, her room having been cleaned after being ransacked, Tikki whispered in her ear, "You did the right thing."

Marinette groaned. "It was hard."

"I know. It'll get easier. I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! I just wanted to let you know that I will not be posting until as early as next Sunday (June 19). I'm so so sorry! I'm going on a vacation this week and I'm so excited! Sorry this is such short chapter, but I have to pack!

Félix kept shooting Marinette shady glances when they passed each other in the halls or at meals. She would abruptly turn away from him, not wanting him to see her. She wished he would just forget about her, the way she had him. Well... maybe not completely, just yet.

Marinette would be lying if she said Félix never crossed her mind. There were always moments when she dreamed of this being his Competition. Would he choose her? She had little doubt that he wouldn't, but Félix seemed like the type of person who was isolated and overly-independent. Sure, there were things that Marinette preferred to do on her own, but she wasn't so naïve as to think that she could run a whole country by herself. If Félix were to have a Competition, it would crash and burn what with his egotistical attitude. Besides, he wasn't even in line for the throne.

And yet, Marinette found him in the library, their library, reading demographics and line plots of war materials. She couldn't help but pull up a chair and ask, "What are you doing?"

He looked up at her, squinted a little, and then reverted his gaze back to the papers in front of him. "I thought you weren't speaking to me," he said quietly.

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I meant that I wasn't pursuing you."

He smirked. "So, you admit to attempting to pursue me at some point?"

"That's not what I said either!" she said loudly, rage giving her voice an edge. Immediately, she backed off, biting her tongue and looking around the room. Thankfully, it was empty, and the guards patrolling outside hadn't heard a thing. She let out a breath. "Stop being mean. Why are you reading papers meant for the royal family?"

He looked at her, bewildered. "Are you implying I'm not a part of the royal family?"

Her eyes widened at recognition of her slip-up. "No! That's not what I meant! I just... those papers are meant for the king. You're not the king," she finished awkwardly.

"Ah. I see. Well, no matter what the laws say, I think I would be a better king than Adrien. I'm more capable, less wish-washy, more merit-"

"No! Don't talk about him like that!" Marinette interrupted. She wouldn't have Félix saying such things. "Stop insulting Adrien. He'll be a wonderful king, no matter who is by his side."

Félix snorted. "Fine. I was going to tell you about how I plan to save this country from impending doom by raising myself up from down under and helping my people. But, fine. I get it. Adrien is all you desire." Marinette took silent note of his use of "my" instead of "the" when referring to the citizens of the country.

He looked back down at the papers and continued speaking without making eye contact. "Your boy-toy is probably in his room, playing with his little chemistry set and reading a science book."

Marinette ignored the dig. "Science? What are you talking about?"

Félix let out a low chuckle. "You mean the nerd hasn't told you? The kid's obsessed with physics! It's all he cares about!" He seemed to find this hilarious, clutching at his stomach as he laughed.

Marinette crossed her arms. "I don't see what's so funny about him being smart," she said, tapping her foot impatiently.

Félix wiped at his eyes. "Smart? Smart?! Marinate, if he was smart, he would be reading over papers like me. A king does not need to know particle and quantum physics. Just like a queen doesn't need to know how to design and sew."

Marinette tensed up at his last words, knowing they were directed at her. "How... how did you know about that?" she asked in a small voice. Yes, the people of Franic knew (or at least figured) she could sew, but she had not once mentioned design to anyone other than Adrien and Alya.

Félix dug under a few papers and pulled out a small leather bound binder. Marinette felt her heart leap to her throat. "Rather good designs, I might say, if but a little... amateur."

Marinette gasped and clenched her hands into fists. No one had ever been so... so... so rude! She knew her designs weren't the best, but to call them... he...

She marched up to him, stole the binder from his hands, turned on her heel, and stormed away.

Behind her, she heard Félix call out, "Wait! Marinette! I didn't mean to upset you! I'm sorry!"

She left the room, the slamming the door the only answer to his apologies.

\-------------------------------------------------

After a good cry in her room and a talk with Tikki, Marinette was busying herself with work. Félix's ambitious and studious mindset reminded her that she herself had loads of work to get done. After scrambling through some papers about job rates and percents, Marinette sighed. She eyed her sketches and and then looked towards the inferno burning in the fireplace across from her, warming her room.

Was her work really that bad? So much so that he would sneer at her over it? Marinette never showed her designs to anyone. She would eventually show the final product, but she thought she was a terrible sketcher. Tikki often argued this point with her, saying that she was a prodigy. Marinette would retort, saying that she was only a middle-class girl with a hobby.

Still, she sighed, sifting through her old works. She picked up an armful and walked towards the fire.

"Marinette, what are you doing?!" Marinette squeaked and the papers flew all over the room and lay scattered about on the floor. She turned to see an enraged Tikki. "Were you just about to burn your designs?" she asked.

Marinette tried to think of a lie, an excuse, anything. Unfortunately, Tikki caught on too quickly to Marinette's desperate attempt to hatch a lie. "For the last time Marinette, you are more than people think you are!"

Marinette exploded. "Did you hear what Félix said?! He made fun of my work! He made fun of me! I'm just a joke here. Chloé and Sabrina act liked I cursed them at birth, the other girls still think I have a... thing for chocolate cake, and King Gabriel hates me and thinks I'm not worthy of Adrien. How am I supposed to keep going when no one believes in me?" She felt a few tears drip down her nose, her second crying episode of the day.

Tikki snuggled into her cheek comfortingly. "Marinette, you're wrong. I believe in you. Your parents believe in you. Alya believes in you. And even Adrien, the prince of Franic, believes in you! You can't stop now. Big things are coming your way, I promise."

They stayed like that for a while, kwami and holder, snuggled up near a fire in the middle of summer. That being said, the palace was like a freezer, slowly sucking the life out of its cold inhabitants.

Tikki whispered a piece of advice to Marinette, who took it eagerly.

\----------------------------------------------------

Tikki's bright idea had been to visit Adrien in his room. Adrien always seemed to cheer Marinette up, which was what she needed right now. She grinned as she walked down the long hallways, making her way to his room. He had once mentioned which corridor his room was in and she had filed it away for future use.

Now she was here, standing at his door, with guards blocking her way.

"Miss, you are not authorized to speak with the prince," one of the guards said.

She had planned this. She knew that there were guards watching over the royal family and she had practiced this very response. "I know, but His Highness gave me a note that he wanted to see me. I happened to have left it in my room..." she said, looking frazzled.

"Why don't you go back to your room and get it, little lady?" the other one said with a smirk.

Marinate fought not to scowl at his alias for her, specifically since he looked to be only a little older than her. "Well, my room is on the entire other side of the castle. Can't you just ask him if he wanted to see me? Would that be confirmation enough?"

The snarky guard glared down at her, but the nicer one politely knocked on Adrien's door. "Your Highness," he called. "Can you please come here for a moment?"

The door clicked open and Adrien stared blank-faced at Marinette. She shot him a look that said just go with it. He gave a tiny nod.

The rude guard spoke up, "This little girly here says you wanted to see her. Is that correct, Your Highness?"

Adrien glared up at the older boy. "Yes. I asked her to meet me here."

As Adrien beckoned her in and began to close the door, they all heard the mean guard mutter under his breath, "I'm tellin' ya, these Competition girls will do anything to get in bed with the prince."

The door crashed open and Adrien was staring down the guard. "What did you just say?"

The guard gulped. "Uh... nothing, sir. Not a thing."

"That's 'Your Highness' to you," Adrien said, clearly upset.

"Right. Uh, yes, of course, Your Highness." The guard was visibly sweating and Marinette held in her giggles.

"I'll have you know that Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been nothing short of a lady since she has been here. You would be lucky to be in her good graces. Unfortunately for you, you don't seem to understand the privileges of being a guard. I don't have to report you and your foul mouth to your general, do I?" Adrien said.

The guard's eyes popped. "No! That won't be necessary!"

Adrien let out what seemed to be a painful smile. "Good. Apologize to her."

The guard looked at Marinette, all traces of disrespect gone from his face. "I'm very sorry, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Please forgive my grievances."

He bowed down to her and she looked to Adrien for help. He mouthed some words that she couldn't understand, so she made up her own thing.

"As you were," she said, trying to tell if this was an appropriate thing to say. Adrien seemed to be holding in laughter and the guard looked thoroughly surprised. "You are dismissed," she said, as queenly as possible.

As soon as the door closed, Adrien lost it, his laughter echoing around the room. "What's so funny?" Marinette asked, her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment.

"'As you were'? That's what the generals use!" Adrien laughed more and more and Marinette began to as well until they were both in laughing fits over the whole situation.

Once they had calmed down a little, giggles interspersed between silence, Adrien turned to her, looking more serious. "I'm really sorry he said that about you. Most of the guards here aren't like that. I hope you know that no one should-"

"Adrien, it's fine. I'll get over it," she interrupted, still embarrassed.

"Okay. Well, I'm here. What did you want?"

She was about to answer him when she finally got a good look at his room. He had multiple desks set up around the room. Félix had been right. Adrien did have a chemistry set on one desk. On another he had books, textbooks, and they ranged from biology to psychology to physics. He had some posters lining the walls that defined the key laws of physics. One desk had stacks upon stacks of papers, which she guessed were his Prince duties. And there were books everywhere. It was like another library. He had dusty books and shiny new books and books about Franic and the past as they knew it. He had books on science and classic literature books and books about geography and history. His bed was simply black with green sheets and pillowcases, reminding her of a dear friend.

Marientte smiled at the thought of Chat seeing her like this. All dolled up on television screens. Apparently he was watching her and rooting for her. But he didn't know that Ladybug and Marinette were the same person. Would he be disappointed? After all, she was nothing compared to Ladybug. When she was Ladybug, she was more confident and less clumsy. She wasn't sure Chat would love Marinette as he did Ladybug.

Wait. What was she thinking? CHAT?! CHAT NOIR?! Loving her as Marinette? As if! She loved Adrien!

She turned to look at him but knocked backwards into a bookshelf. He reached out to her, but the tall bookcase dropped loads of books on top of the two before they could move out of the way. They laughed as they pulled themselves out of the book pile. Adrien reached out a hand to her, which she took graciously. Everyday she was getting less and less nervous around him.

Adrien said, "Well, it's a good thing the whole bookcase didn't fall-"

He was interrupted by a creaking nose and Marinette turned around to see the huge, looming bookcase leaning towards her. She let out a tiny shriek and Adrien grabbed her and pulled her to him. The bookcase fell with a loud crash and Marinette found herself cuddled against Adrien's chest as they both looked at the mess they had made.

The door to Adrien's room burst open revealing several astonished guards and a very angry king.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everybody! I AM SO SO SO SORRY! I really didn't mean to be gone for so long, but then summer got the best of me, and then school got the best of me, and ugh. But I'm back! I'm currently on Fall Break, but it ends after this week. I'm going to try to post agin this weekend, but I might not be able to and it might be a short chapter. I plan to post every weekend. Thank you so much for sticking with this story!

Marinette gulped as she and Adrien walked behind the king as he lead them to his office. A few guards followed, alarmingly quiet. The guards joked around often and were only serious in dire situations. Marinette knew she should be worried and she was. She glanced over to Adrien, mentally trying to make him look over at her. Look at me, look at me, please look at me, she thought in her mind.

Adrien turned his head to her and Marinette nearly jumped. She knew that he wasn't able to read her mind, but she at least felt a connection. It was the same connection she felt when Chat was able to understand how she felt. When they had fought an akuma just after when she had been chosen for the Competition, he had taken over for most of the battle. She was very down and very emotional, thinking of leaving her family. He had seemed to understand her mood and he had done most of the fighting and the brute work. After purifying the akuma and before they left, Chat gave her a hug and told her that no matter what was wrong, he was here for her.

It was to a lesser extent, but Adrien had seemed to know that something was wrong. He gave her a small reassuring nod and a tiny smile. She sent one back and then looked ahead.

They had reached the study and she took a deep breath before walking in. The guards were told to wait outside and she and Adrien stood before Gabriel and his desk. He motioned for them to sit down and they did so, each in separate chairs. Gabriel cleared his throat and then began to speak.

"Adrien, I know that finding your wife seems to be the top priority, but it's not. We need to give the country something to hope for. Something to look up to. Something to make the rebels slow down. That is what this is about. Not some silly game. And you can't just choose the first person to jump out at you."

He paused and took a breath to continue his lecture, but Adrien interrupted him. "So you want to me to marry someone who is good for the country, not someone that I actually care about?" Marinette nearly blushed, thinking that this was directed towards her.

"Precisely," was King Gabriel's crisp response. He had a look of relief in his eyes, as if he thought Adrien had finally gotten it. And yet, Adrien showed disgust at his father's remark, not being able to comprehend how someone could think that way.

"Is that why you married Mother?" he dared to ask. Marinette looked over, surprise in her eyes.

King Gabriel's eyes widened for a moment, astonished that his son, who rarely spoke of his mother, would go to such quippy comment about her. He shook it off quickly and said, "No. I was very lucky to meet your mother. She had the country in her hands. They all adored her. Including myself. I loved her very much."

Adrien continued, wishing to prove an undefined point. "So you admit it can be done." He said it like a statement, like a lawyer catching the accused in their own web of lies.

King Gabriel nodded with slight hesitance. "Yes. But Adrien... this..." he gestured to Marinette like she was a useless pile of dirty clothes, "is not what you're looking for."

Adrien stood up, his face red with anger. "And why not?"

"She is a Four. She is too spontaneous. She causes trouble. She is not a favorite. She holds no ties. She is not elegant. She is rather plain. She wishes to move down a caste. Do you know how frowned upon that is?"

Marinette couldn't take it anymore. She fled the room, too angry to cry. She didn't even bother to curtsey. She vaguely heard Adrien shouting at his father from behind her, but she rushed to the gardens, to the same bench, to the same spot where Adrien met her.

She threw herself onto the ground and wept. She cried because she missed home and because she wasn't wanted here and because Adrien wouldn't pick her. He couldn't. She lost track of time, just sitting there, waiting for some sign of hope.

She waited for his footsteps. She waited for his voice. It never came. He never came. She said to herself over and over that he was talking to his father and he was trying to help her, but a little voice in her head whispered that he could have done more to see to it that she was fine after leaving. She was hurt. Not mad, but hurt.

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After awhile, she picked herself up, her dress muddy and ruined. She picked a rose for herself, knowing it was wrong, but not caring. She would be gone soon anyway. She walked herself back to her room, a solemn expression on her face. She passed a portrait of the queen and took a moment to pay her respects, a habit she had created for herself. But before leaving, Marinette murmured, "Please... help me. However, you can just... help." She walked away quickly, even though there was no one to notice her broken cry for help to the queen.

When she got back to her room, she threw herself down onto the bed. She stared at the ceiling, thinking of everything and nothing at the same time. Could she really do this? She knew she wasn't necessarily fit to be queen, but... something just tied her down here. It was as if her heart wouldn't let her leave.

She sighed and changed out of her dress and into a new one, a simple day dress. She took the sheets off her bed, now as dirty as her old dress from when she layed on them. She placed the rose on her bedside table, making a mental note to ask Mylène for a vase and some water. She sat down at her desk and worked, Tikki watching her from the sidelines.

This was a habit Marinette had picked up through the years. Anytime she was extremely sad or angry or stressed, she would clean heself up and work on whatever she could until she had nothing left to do. Some would say this was a good way to channel her emotions, but the entire process behind it involved bottling up those emotions and pushing them down, down until she couldn't feel them anymore.

After three hours of percentiles and war statistics, Marinette was hungry and ready for dinner. She sat next to Alya at the meal and made small talk. She didn't look at Adrien or the king. She knew she was tearing apart her chances of staying by doing this, but she felt as though there was no hope for her anyways.

She went back to her room, ready for the day to be over. She knew she had an interview tomorrow night and so she thought she should get some adequate sleep so that-

A huge crash interrupted her train of thought.

Tikki jumped up from the pillow where she was lying. Marinette ran to her balcony, not paying attention to Tikki telling her to stay away. Sirens came on, and she knew that they meant to go down to the safe room, but something Marinette couldn't name made her stay firmly planted on her balcony. She saw fireworks crashing into the palace, but there were no people, no guns. Just fireworks.

"Akuma," Marinette muttered before saying, "Tikki, transform me!"

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As soon as she was transformed, she jumped off the balcony, using her yo-yo to climb up to the rooftops. She saw a man dressed in bright colors shooting fireworks directly into the walls. One of them had even crumbled. She heard screams coming from below and saw maids and gardeners who had been finishing their daily chores when the attacks occurred.

"Ladybug? You're here early."

Ladybug turned around quickly. "And you."

Chat looked uncomfortable and averted his gaze. "I was in the area..." He scratched the back of his neck, a familiar gesture that she could have sworn she saw somewhere else.

She nodded and turned around to look at the mess agin, not giving her reasoning for being there so early. Somehow, his being in the area, the castle rather far from the town, slipped completely from her mind.

"What do we do?" Chat asked.

"What we do best," she murmured before moving into action, Chat alongside her.

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They had purified the akuma and had only a few minutes to spare. Chat began to turn away, but Ladybug stepped in front of him. "Ladybug?" he questioned, confused.

"Chat, I need advice."

"But, your-" he started, pointing at her earrings.

"I know." She moved his hand down, but never let go of his wrist, something he didn't fail to notice. "Please."

He nodded, a concerned expression on his face.

"Okay. Um... what do you do if... if the person you like likes someone else?" She suddenly noticed her hand on his wrist and removed it, far too fast. Ladybug had never been uncomfortable around Chat. She had never felt weird about touching him or talking to him, but for some reason, she now felt shy. She didn't necessarily not want to talk to him, but it was like... she was so much more aware of what she was doing. Oh God, what face am I making? she thought, failing to say to herself that she didn't care what she looked like when she was around Chat. Why would she?

Chat's eyes had widened for just a moment before they narrowed, a sly smirk coming on his face. "That seems to be the predicament with you and I, my lady."

Ladybug frowned and crossed her arms. "I'm being serious."

"Me too," Chat said, the smirk still on his face. But there was something in his eyes that showed that he had the littlest bit of truth in his words.

What if Chat really did like her? Sure, she knew that his flirting may not have entirely been a joke, but she didn't think that he... Had she really been so dense all this time? Was he for real? Did he actually, truly...

"I have to go," Ladybug said quickly, feeling a lump in her throat. Her stomach hurt and she needed to leave.

"Ladybug, wait!" Chat cried, but it was too late. She was already gone. "Dammit!" he yelled, punching a wall.

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"Do I really mess with him that much Tikki?" Marinnete asked, a tissue in her hand. She was sitting on her bed in a silk dressing gown, crying every now and then.

"Well, you surely don't reject him anymore." There was a time when Marinette declined his every remark and rolled her eyes at his comments. But these days, she would casually flirt back, and what with both of them being quick-witted, the conversation lasted for awhile. She was blowing her nose into the tissue just as a she heard a loud thud on her balcony.

Angry, Marinette jumped up and threw the doors to the balcony open while muttering, "I swear to God, if that stupid firework thing is back, I'll-"

But she was greeted by a certain black cat.

"Chat?" she said surprised. She winced after realizing she left off the "Noir".

"May I come in?" he asked. Marinette looked back, making sure that Tikki was hidden and then motioned him in.

"Sorry," he said, admiring the room. "I wouldn't normally ask, but it's a cold night." She knew. When they were fighting, the fireworks and damage gave off heat, but as soon as the world was fixed and the akuma gone, Marinette realized how cold it was.

"It's fine," she said, sitting down by the fire. He joined her, still glancing around at the walls, a small smile on his face.

"So these are the rooms the Competition girls get?"

"Yep. You can change things the way you want to, but I was fine with the cream."

Chat stood up and walked towards the picture of her and her family. "These are your parents?"

"Yes," she said, walking over and looking over his shoulder.

"You look like a happy bunch."

"We are." It felt strange. Chat always had long conversations with her as Ladybug, but something was different with her as Marinette, like there was a wall or a barrier between them. "Why did you come here anyway?" she asked cautiously.

Chat turned and guided her back to the fire. "I'm rooting for you, you know."

"Rooting for me?"

"In the Competition," he said, gesturing around the room. She raised her eyebrows and nodded, trying to feign surprise at the news. "Do you think you'll be chosen to be a Nonpareil?" he asked.

The Nonpareils were a group of ten girls who were considered most likely to win the Competition. They were picked out by the prince and that was when the real work started. Appearances, interviews, betting, traditions... the list went on and on.

There was a time during the Competition when Marinette thought she might become a Nonpareil. But after her and Adrien's silence, she wasn't sure.

"I don't know," was her simple reply. She stared out the window, her eyes glazed over.

Chat sighed watching her. "I'll see you later, Marinette," he said quietly, moving to the balcony and leaping off.

"Bye," she whispered after he left. unable to ignore the weird drumming her heart did.


End file.
